


Since the Beginning

by maszy



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: (Slightly), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Coming Untouched, Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Harry Hart | Galahad/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Lawyer Harry, M/M, Minor Violence, Mutual Pining, Overstimulation, Pining Eggsy Unwin, Pining Harry Hart, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, or: no one roles up their sleeves jesus, slightly-graphic abuse, they're all pining tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-01-21 05:46:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 68,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12450864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maszy/pseuds/maszy
Summary: In a world where your soul mark - a common tattoo between a couple - appears after you have met your soulmate, sometimes taking days or months, in a shared location and color(s), Eggsy Unwin is nearly absolutely sure he will never find his. After all who will want some pleb from the estates?  He really didn't prepare for one Harry Hart.





	1. Meet Me in the Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggsy and Harry meet. Eggsy, Roxy, Harry, and Merlin get their marks.

Eggsy is fairly sure he will never have one, a soul mark. All of his mates have found theirs. Jamal with the some bird out of the estates at 16 (a cardinal in bright red), and Ryan with some bloke he found at a pub one night when they were out drinking at 18 (some sort of coiled snake in metallic green). Both had gotten theirs nearly immediately. But Eggsy, already 23, hasn’t found his yet. 

His mum had hers on her shoulder, some shimmering blue-silver colour, a daisy with an umbrella. His dad was dead, an unlucky car crash when Eggsy was 5. He can barely remember his da’s matching mark on his own shoulder. And then his mum’s tattoo had faded into a bleak grey color, and she stopped letting him look in general. 

After a few years, his mum had started dating again. Random blokes who would stay and go at will. At some point, the money ran out, the estates were the only place they had left. Then Dean Baker of all fuckin people came into the picture after Rix (what even was that name anyways), his mums last fling, had bailed. And Dean was nice enough at first, when Eggsy was 10 and far too trusting for his own good. Eggsy didn’t know if he had a soul mark or not, but he was nice so it didn’t matter. But then, when Eggsy turned 12, something changed. He no longer came home to a silent house, and he didn’t even notice it at first, the bruises on his mum. When he did, he had asked, she had said she fell, an accident. But then Dean starting hitting him, calling him stupid and worthless when he did any small thing wrong. 

His mom had gotten pregnant not a month after he turned nineteen. She had called in a fit, banging on about raising a kid alone, so he had come home after 6 months in the marines. He tries to not be bitter, but he had never finished anything, not gymnastics, not uni. But he had to provide for little Daisy, because Dean sure as fuck wouldn't and he refused to have her live his life. Jobs were rare, especially for chavs like him, and so instead of slinging whatever Dean wanting him to he had worked the corners. Dean had always got on him about working, providing, and he still took a good portion of his money. But he now could buy Dais dummies, a cot, toys, and clothes and whatever she needed. Michelle didn’t ask where the money came from, from either shame or pity, and Dean wasn’t around too much except at night when he came back from the pub. 

The money was good. Mostly older businessmen with soulmate wives at home (who Eggsy felt terrible for constantly) and those whose soulmates had died, or didn’t want them. Not many were markless, Eggsy didn’t mind that much regardless, he had to provide for Daisy because Dean sure as fuck won’t. 

But, while being some posh blokes toy for an hour came with money, it wasn’t exactly the life he wanted for himself. He quit after 2 years, the corners could do without him. 

\----

But one night when Eggsy was twenty-one, Dean came home pissed as hell, slurring at him and throwing around obscenities. 

“Fuckin christ, you worthless rentboy, can’tcha do anything right?” Dean hit him in the ribs. But Eggsy refused to start slinging again, he had gotten too close to being caught before. So he ran, pushed Dean away and ran right out the door with his mum crying in the background. 

He meets Roxanne Morton then, who tells him to call her Roxy and her accent is proper posh. Eggsy had ended up at the Black Prince, where he met up with Jamal and Ryan. When she walked in, in a bespoke suit and small heels, he didn't know yet that he would find himself a new best mate.

Eggsy thought she was right lost at first, looking like she did and coming to this piece of shite pub in the estates. But she sat at the bar and ordered herself a pint, smiling and saying please and thank you. 

When in came fuckin' Rottweiler and his gang, yelling at Eggsy because he had refused to push rock for Dean again. Eggsy was gonna step in then, but Roxy walks right to Rottweiler and decks him in the nose. 

The punch knocked Rottie back, nose bleeding and slightly crooked and Eggsy swears he is in love with this girl (not in love, but goddamn if that wasn’t the best thing he had ever saw). The rest of the gang all look like they were about to say something, so close to going off, but then she looked at the lot of them and they all closed their mouths and pick Rottie up and carried him out again. 

She walked up to him, hand clutched in front of her chest, and asked Eggsy if he is fine. Like some sort of fuckin' vigilante, punching some bloke in the face and then being concerned about some other pleb she didn’t know. 

“’m fine, bruv. You need some ice for that?” Eggsy had asked, because the knuckles are bloody and they looked slightly bruised. 

“That would be nice. I’m Roxanne Morton, by the way. Call me Roxy,” she held out her hand and smiled, like Eggsy is her old friend. 

“Eggsy Unwin. It’s Gary really, but not even my mum calls me that,” she didn’t even blink at the nickname, looking him in his eye as he shook her un-bruised hand. He looked away and goes to get ice chips from Greg, who runs the bar and had a wholly fuckin' shocked face on. 

He returned and sat back down in the booth where Roxy and his mates were and handed her the ice, Ryan and Jamal both looking at Roxy like she grew two heads. 

“My name’s Roxy,” Roxy had said, and Eggsy thought she looked slightly annoyed at the looks his mates were giving her. Ryan and Jamal both introduced themselves, and Roxy shook their hands too. 

And so he offered her a seat in the booth beside him, and she buys the table another round, and then one thing leads to another and it’s nearly midnight and they’re all pissed. Roxy, in her slight heels that aren’t truly heels, slightly swaying in her seat to some unheard music (“I don’t drink a lot, but I never refuse a challenge,” she had said when all the boys had continued ordering drinks). Ryan and Jamal looked borderline sick, and Eggsy swears the floor is tilting at an angle. 

It only makes sense that the topic of soulmates had came up, because it always does. 

“She is so nice, she looks so nice. I love ‘er so much. She looks like a swan, ya know? She is so fuckin bangin, mate,” Jamal slurred. Jesse and him had dated since they found out, round 7 years by then, but Eggsy is too drunk to remember exactly how long. 

“Same, mate, fuckin Logan is fit as fuck. Could wear a ratty jumper and still look like a model, yeah?” Ryan responds, by now halfway laying down in the booth. 

Eggsy looks over to Roxy, who had stopped swaying and says nothing but has a look in her eye that Eggsy doesn’t have the capacity to interpret and so he doesn’t try. 

“I haven’t met mine yet,” she says, her accent slightly less crisp, “don’t know who they even are.”

“Me neither,” he says, “fuckin' swear the world is out to get me.” 

\---

Eggsy learns that Roxy works at some posh tailor shop up on Savile Row, Kingsman she had said, had been working there for a month. He learns that she has a crush on her boss and even though she hasn't got her soul mark yet she hopes it's her boss, Merlin, and that she loves her work but hates the people who come in their with silver spoons in their arse (and that she is too polite to say anything about their rudeness), and that she is the most interesting bird he has ever met. 

Around 6 months into their friendship, she had offered Eggsy, who was twenty-two, a job at Kingsman. 

“It’s not charity, Rapunzel, I want to work with you and Merlin loved you when you visited last week,” she had said, “do you want to?” And so Eggsy had accepted, and had been working there with a steady income ever since. Of course, nothing pleased Dean, but he never hit above the chest now, because Eggsy had people that would notice. 

The job isn’t actually all that interesting, mostly just cleaning and then measuring trust-fund-babies with silver spoons so far up their arses they can taste it. He is 23 now, and improving quickly at being a tailor. 

But today Eggsy had a bad day, and it truly wasn’t his fault. That fuckin’ arsehole had came in there and looked down his nose at Eggsy the full time he took his measurements. And so what if his rough accent didn’t fit in, he was damn good at his job by now. So, like the professional he is, he took the measurements, thanked the man, and then immediately retreated to the back room where Roxy was taking her break and ranted for 5 minutes. 

“You know, it’s not like I’m a fuckin’ different breed. The fuckin’ bloke acted like I was gonna give him a disease if I touched him for too long. What the fuck was his problem, even? Not like I’m bad at my job, yeah, I've been here for 6 months,” Eggsy said, looking at Roxy. 

She gives him a curious look, she knows about the abuse (only after Dean had decked him in the face after Eggsy disagreeing with him). She knows he is not usually so easy to get to. 

“You’re perfect at your job, Sleeping Beauty, you know that,” Roxy says to him. 

The bell by the door chimes, and Roxy gets up now that her break is over. She smiles one last time at Eggsy and ruffles his hair, ignoring Eggsy’s indignant squeak. 

Eggsy stays in the back, deciding to take his break now. The owner of the shop, Merlin Last-Name-Unknown, sometimes works from an office in the back of the shop, like today. He is just like Eggsy imagined him from Roxy’s stories a few years ago. Sarcastic, emotional but never shows it, and he had took Eggsy under his wing in some way, like a mother-goose (he nags like on too). 

There are only 2 front workers at a time in the shop, along with Dagonet - who works in the back with the inventory mostly, because while the shop is popular and the revenue large because of the various international branches and rich as fuck clients, Merlin loves the smaller atmosphere the small work staff carries. 

The workers are in pairs, Merlin (the nerd he is), nicknamed each staff member. Roxy is called Lancelot, who works with Eggsy, who was nicknamed Gawain upon arrival. Bors and Lamorak work together mostly, both a tad impersonal but warm up nicely to each other. Percival and the ex-Lancelot, now Tristan are husbands, and Roxy's uncles, and work together in shifts as well. Bedivere and Kay work together, but work odd hours and are close to retirement, so Eggsy and Roxy take most of their shifts. 

Galahad is some bloke who’s actual name is Tristan, who travels to all the other branches and always does international clients. Harry Hart use to occupy the part during his time in uni, but eventually got some job as a lawyer. As Merlin tells it, Harry Hart is always in a state of being late, a little shit at best, and is a gentleman (“If you ever meet him and tell him that, I will drown you and make it look like an accident, lad.”) 

In the 6 months that Eggsy has worked for Kingsman, he has never saw the elusive Harry Hart. He imagines him, from stories. The way he talks, his sense of humor and all. Merlin has a picture of the two in his office from a few years ago, he had said. 

Harry, doing a half-smile like he is fondly exasperated at Merlin, and Merlin laughing at something in some posh looking pub. Merlin keeps it only to, “remind myself what Harry looks like since the half-wit travels so much.”

“Good morning, sir. How may I help you,” Roxy says, posh accent perfect and crisp. 

“My names Harry Hart, I was hoping Merlin was in today, wanted to treat him to lunch,” comes the voice from the front, smooth and deep. And, to say the least, all of Eggsy’s wildest expectations were blew out the water with that chocolate smooth voice. 

“Of course, Mr. Hart, I’ll go tell him you’re here,” says Roxy, voice only slightly higher for some unknown reason. 

He doesn’t expect her to rush into the break room and quietly tell him to check him out, because Harry Hart is basically a cryptid around Kingsman, always heard of and never seen. So Eggsy does, he quietly walks to the front of the store and nods at Harry with a smile and goes past him to arrange an already perfect stack of ties. And Harry Hart is fit. Eggsy is sure he is the closest thing to an angel that he has ever seen. Chocolate brown eyes, hair slightly graying at the temples, and turtleneck glasses and the most pristine suit he has ever seen. Navy blue, golden cufflinks, and hair neatly parted. Then Harry smiles at him like they have known each other forever. 

“Good morning, Mr. Unwin,” Harry says, lips barely upturned. Eggsy forgets for a second that he has a name tag on that says "Gary Unwin" on it. He blushes, because Harry’s the fittest bloke ever for sure. He doesn’t even mind that Harry looks far too posh, out of his league, with manners that could rival anyone. 

“Mornin’, Mr. Hart,” he murmurs, and Harry raises one perfect eyebrow. It takes 5 seconds for it to click why the man in front of him has a smug look on his face, but when Eggsy does he blushes, hard. Because he sounds like an absolute stalker. 

“Merlin has a photo of you, he talks about you a lot. I swear’m not crazy,” Eggsy stumbles out, blushing profusely. He cuts himself off before he can say something else. 

Luckily, Merlin and Roxy return, and Mr. Hart looks over at them instead of the stumbling mess that Eggsy has turned into. 

“Harry! It’s been ages. Lad,” Merlin looks at Eggsy now, “mind showing Harry around while I finish up some work?”

Of course that’s his luck, Eggsy thinks, mentally cursing every deity he knows that he has to show this man around. Because he is polite, and posh, and fit as hell, and Eggsy is sure he is half in love with this older man. 

“That would be a pleasure, if you would, Gary,” Harry says, lips upturned and looking at him up and down, and that only makes Eggsy blush more completely. 

“Sure,” he mumbles, starting to lead Mr. Hart down the hall to show him the different offices. They walk in relative silence, Eggsy showing him the different rooms, which have all surely changed since he had worked there. 

“How long have you worked here, then, Mr. Unwin?” asks Mr. Hart, walking in long strides next to Eggsy. 

“Around 6 months now, bruv. Got the job cuz Roxy recommended me,” Eggsy explains, and Harry doesn’t seem put off by Eggsy’s rough accent from the estates. 

“You like it then? You must be around 25, correct?” he asks, and Eggsy has to use extreme willpower to not fuckin' make some sort of remark like 'you know what else I would like'?

“Sure, bruv. It’s good pay, and 23 now. I like the other workers,” Eggsy replies, trying his best not to ramble on about anything and nothing at all. 

Harry seems so composed, so fuckin' composed. He hasn’t even properly got to know the man yet, and Eggsy already feels a connection. A need to ruin that composure, to see what is under that posh suit and if he can be so calm after being teased. 

\--- 

Harry Hart has gotten use to not having a soulmate. He goes to work in the morning, and comes back in the afternoon or at night to an empty house. He even liked it. He had never gotten too attached to people romantically. Complicated, it was always complicated. 

He had a few friends, those at Kingsman (except Arthur, who was the founder of Kingsman Tailors, as well as his law firm), Merlin (his oldest friend, most trusted, who ran Kingsman). 

He wasn’t lonely all the time, sometimes of course he was. But not all the time. He was content with Mr. Pickles in his loo and the butterflies covering the walls. His home was his own, and he didn’t mind much that he hadn’t gotten his soul mark yet. Even if it was odd to not have one at 50. 

Until he met Eggsy Unwin. Eggsy Unwin who looked beautiful in the tailored white shirt and slacks. Who looks borderline sinful, in fact. Eggsy whose blush spread evenly over his cheeks and whose lips were light pink. 

Blonde hair, tall, obviously muscular under the tailored clothes he wore. And of course some part of Harry cocked it’s head at the mumbling younger man. 

Because Harry Hart had never much minded not having a soulmate until now. Because now of course he wanted this young man he didn’t even know. He wanted to see how his distracting pink lips tasted, and if he was truly as muscular as he seemed under that shirt. 

It’s his luck, Harry thinks, that the first person he has ever actually wanted to stick around is exactly his type and at least half his age, and works for Merlin, who will surely tease him relentlessly. 

\---

He and Mr. Hart end up in the break-room, which was directly across from Merlin’s office at the end of the hall where the man had disappeared to surely torture Eggsy while he chuckled to himself, the bastard. Because before they went off, Eggsy had noticed Merlin and Roxy’s mirrored faces of shock at his blushing mumbling. 

“This was a fine refresher tour, Gary, thanks for showing me around.”

“You can call me Eggsy, no one calls me Mr. Unwin, and I hate Gary, not even me mum calls me it,” Eggsy mumbles. 

Merlin walks into the room not 30 seconds later as Eggsy is finishing up a story about the day of the photo on the wall (all the workers at Kingsman, in a circle smiling with Percival and Tristan holding hands). Of course Merlin is wearing the most smug expression Eggsy has ever fuckin' seen, and that only makes Eggsy blush more, because he has to know about Eggsy fancying Harry. 

“You ready, Harry?” he asks, now glancing at the older man. 

“Yes. You finished you work then,” Merlin nods, ”It was a pleasure meeting you, then, Eggsy.” 

The nickname only makes Merlin look even more smug. Eggsy smiles and waves goodbye to Harry, who walks out with Merlin side by side. 

He takes a minute to recollect himself before going to Roxy, who is in the storefront talking with Dagonet about some inventory. There is a sharp pain on his arm, and it is gone as soon as it comes, so he forgets nearly instantly. Eggsy waits for a minute, and Dagonet returns to the back. 

“Holy fuck,” Eggsy mumbles into his hands when he sits in the chair behind the counter.

“Hart?” 

“Rox, ‘m fucked.”

Roxy laughs lightly to the right of him, he looks up to see her smiling down at him with fond exasperation, like he is a puppy that got caught up in his leash. 

“Merlin said that Mr. Hart just returned from the states, that he’ll be around a lot more now that he has asked to stop traveling so much. He also said they’ll be back in an hour or two,” Roxy looks back at him now, still amused. 

“‘M gonna die,” Eggsy mumbles under his breath.

He feels guilty. What if Harry isn’t his soulmate, what if his actual soulmate is somewhere and now he feels all these things for some older gentleman he just met? What if Harry is his soulmate. But Eggsy stops that train of thought before it runs too wild, before it takes over (he doesn’t admit to even himself that it consumes his thoughts already. 

“Wanna go for a pint after work, Rox? We got the day off tomorrow, yeah?”

“You’re buying first round.”

\---

The pub is packed, Fridays always are at the pub Eggsy and Rox goes to now. It’s by the shop, cheaper than most, and tastes nice enough. Mostly suits and ties, people getting off their day jobs. Eggsy doesn’t mind them, mostly, and they don’t look at him.

He’s on his fifth drink when he notices Roxy looking at him our the corner of her eye. He isn’t truly pissed, but the world is still kinda spinning. 

“You good, Eggsy?” she asks, looking at him with the concern of a mother. 

“Me? ‘M fine,” he replied, slightly stumbling. 

“You usually go back home after 2, this is the fifth drink you’ve had.”

Eggsy sighs and tries his best to look less guilty, then he mumbles:

“Stupid Harry, Rox, like what if he has a wife he loves?”

Roxy looks almost like she pities him, but she has never pitied him before, so Eggsy isn’t really sure what the look means and he is too drunk to figure it out. Then she looks shocked. 

“Eggsy, not to totally freak you out or nothing, but you should probably look at your arm,” she says. Eggsy is confused for far too long, the words blurring together before he eventually looks down at his forearms, he had rolled his shirts sleeves when they had left the shop (properly, like Rox taught him). 

He drops his drink when he looks down to see a tattoo marking his skin. He stares, and stares, and tries to think of all the people it could possibly be and his first actual thought is: Harry. Because his brain is a traitor. He had felt a pain earlier but didn’t pay much mind, it was sharp and then gone and he thought it had just been a cramp in his arm. 

Gold butterflies in a black circle, some seemingly flying out and ascending on his arm.

His mind spins, because this is it. This is the moment he has waited for his whole life and he can’t think of anyone other than Harry fuckin’ Hart. He feels sobered up, the world still is spinning but not from the cheap beer. Because Harry cannot be his soulmate, because gentleman don’t end up with no pleb from the estates. Don’t end up with someone like him. 

He is shocked back into reality when Roxy touches his shoulder, steadying him from falling over on the stool. He needs to go, though, because he still cannot process and this pub is too loud. 

He pays for the glass when the bartender, Henry, glares at it as he pays his tab. 

“‘M fine, Rox, just gotta get home, yeah?” he says when Roxy gives him a look. 

She nods, disbelief clear but knowing they will talk about it eventually. He usually takes the tube, but tonight he takes a taxi because it is usually quicker. 

He mentally goes through every person he has met recently, goes through names and faces and how he felt about each of them. The bloke that had been disgusted by him, a woman whose smile didn’t reach her eyes even when it seemed genuine, the girl on the tube last week he had talked to for 30 minutes while running errands for Merlin with Roxy. 

But he can only think of Harry. Harry with kind eyes, that fuckin’ smirk, the manners, the suit. He finds himself wishing it is Harry who shares his tattoo. He also reminds himself that Harry also probably has a spouse at his home who he goes back to, a soulmark that matches theirs. 

How could he ever want him?

He arrives home quickly. It’s around midnight now, so he lets himself into the estate flat and thanks whatever god there is that Dean is passed out on the couch - that he wasn’t here when Dean came in pissed and passed out. He quietly goes to the room he shares with Daisy, because Dean hated when she stayed in his room and cried. She is luckily asleep. A dummy in her mouth, he runs his fingers through her hair and goes to lay down. He doesn’t have another shift until Monday, luckily. 

Except he can’t sleep, because he keeps looking at the tattoo. The gold is mesmerizing, grounding in the same way. He cannot help but daydream about Harry staring at the same design on his forearm. He daydreams about domestic things that he has never had time to do before, the waking up together, the smiling and dancing in the kitchen, the memorized tea orders. 

He is so screwed. 

His hands shakes when he realizes that Harry probably isn’t his soulmate, because how could he be? He feels guilty, incredibly guilty, because he knows that Harry is probably not his. He falls asleep with a sense of guilt and some underlying hope that maybe, just maybe, Harry may be his soulmate. He dreams of Harry and their life together. 

\--- 

The hangover is decidedly not worth it that Saturday. He doesn’t have to be at the shop, but Merlin asks if he and Roxy would run some errands for him because he has some meeting with another branch and he needs some things done. So Eggsy says yes, because Merlin is one of his favorite people in his life. 

He takes the tube to the shop and tries to avoid looking at the tattoo on his forearm. He had rolled his sleeves up again, the tube is crowded and it’s humid after the rain. He sees 3 people looking at the mark before he rolls his sleeves back down. 

By the time he makes it to the shop, Roxy is already there, waiting in some more casual clothes - still looking like she is going to work though. Eggsy had went for his winged trainers, a polo, trousers, and his black Adidas jacket. He looks utterly out of place, but he is still kinda seeing the world spin, because he has a soulmate. And his brain keeps whispering that it might be Harry Hart. 

Percival and Tristan, who look as utterly in love as they truly are, are in the front of the shop waiting for customers. Merlin meets them at the front in a suit, and tells them that they really just need to pick up some fabric and then pick up some papers from King Law Firm, which Eggsy learns is owned by Chester King as well, the rich fucker. 

“Thanks for doing this, lads, Harry will meet you with the papers. I’ll be back by the afternoon.”

For a few seconds, Eggsy’s mind cannot comprehend that he will see Harry Hart of all people again so soon. Because, honestly, does the world have some sorta cross on his back? Of course Roxy looks at him slightly out of the corner of her eye, and Merlin looks slightly smug as well at the slowness of Eggsy’s response. He definitely knows, because of course he does. 

They pick up the fabric, taking the company taxi (Eggsy still isn’t sure why the need one). They arrive at the law firm, and Eggsy immediately feels out of place. It’s huge, the building rises high, is sleek and very intimidating. But he and Rox are here for a purpose and so he heads in behind her, and she does most of the talking. 

The girl at the front desk has a name tag that says Amelia, and she smiles very brightly at Roxy and him. As they are walking towards the door, Roxy yelps. Eggsy immediately turns towards her, and she looks about as shocked as he does. She is holding her right wrist, and is looking at where her other hand is like it has betrayed her. 

It’s her soul mark, Eggsy realizes, she just got her soul mark. 

She looks back at Amelia, who smiles slightly back at them and looks confused as to why they haven’t left the lobby yet. So he pulls Roxy to the elevator where they can have some privacy, because it obviously isn’t Amelia that is her soulmate. 

Roxy looks stunned, Eggsy is too. She’s 23, and she just got her soul mark too. He realizes that he has no genuine clue who it is, they met Amelia today but Amelia hadn’t reacted to anything. Everyone else they saw today they have met before, but then again, that fact didn't matter, it could be any one of them.

\---

Across town, Merlin feels a sharp pain on his right wrist, he doesn’t visibly react because the man across from him is in the middle of saying something. He rubs at the spot, slightly looking down at his wrist and lifting his suit sleeve. He has a moment of clarity, and then intense panic because who the fuck is his soulmate? He realizes the first person he thinks about is Roxy, which makes things complicated and honestly he should have gotten over this crush by now. But she smiles, and she is so bright, and how could he not love the girl?

\---

Roxy’s soul mark is a dragon with a sword and shield, silver and deep green. It extends down around 5 inches and is beautiful. 

“Do you wanna hold off on seeing Harry, Rox? It’s a lot to take in, yeah?”

Roxy nods, still looking at her wrist though, like she is going through every person she has ever knew. Eggsy recognizes the familiar hope within her expression, he knows she hopes it is Merline. If Eggsy is honest with himself, he hopes it is too, the two deserve happiness. 

“I can just get the papers and you wait outside the office, then, okay?” 

Roxy nods again, dazed and still looking at her mark. Eggsy decides to just get the seeing Harry Hart again out of the way and leads Roxy to a couch outside the office. She sits down and is muttering names, Eggsy recognizes most as customers, and knocks on Harry’s door, waiting to hear a ‘come in’ before entering. Harry is sitting at a desk, fully covered in the front, elegant in his suit and tie. 

“Ah, Eggsy! Where is Ms. Morton?”

“She had to… take a call. Merlin told you we were coming, yeah?”

Harry does a half-smile, nods, and then beckons him to the desk he is sitting behind. He shuffles a few papers before finding the ones he is looking for. He writes something on a post-it and hands the papers to Eggsy, who mumbles a thanks. 

Of course the first thing Eggsy notices is how his eyes are drawn to his forearm, still clothed. Because maybe, just maybe it is there. His mark, their mark. But hope is dangerous, and so he flicks his eyes back up to Harry’s face. 

“It’s good to see you again, Eggsy. I assume Merlin had something important to attend to?”

“Oh, yeah, a meeting or somethin’, bruv,” Eggsy fidgets under Harry’s gaze, “some important client I think”.

Harry smiles at him again, and it makes him feel even guiltier because he absolutely melts at the sight of the upturned lips. 

“I’m guessing you did not have work today, then?” Harry asks, as he looks down Eggsy’s outfit, stopping in mild alarm at the trainers. 

“Oh, no, it’s my day off. But Merlin needed us to do this, figured I might as well, yeah?”

Harry looks at him like he’s thinking about something. Like he is trying to find out why Eggsy would do that for his boss, and Eggsy immediately feels the need to clarify why himself. 

“He took me under his wing, I owe ‘im.” Eggsy feels the blush creeping back up his neck to his cheeks and tries to will down the need to ramble on and explain that he is not in love with Merlin, that he would much rather do anything for him. 

“Well, I’m glad that he has people so kind that work for him,” Harry says, smiling, and then, “have you and Ms. Morton ate yet? It’s nearly lunch, I’m about to go if you two would like to accompany me.” Eggsy feels time stop, because he realizes that Harry Hart is asking him and Roxy for lunch. But he is nearly sure Roxy will want some time alone and then talk later, so that means it will just be him and Harry having lunch, and he immediately wishes it was an actual date. 

“I’ll ask Rox, she might be… busy,” is his response, because he can’t just say Rox got her mark and now is too stunned because she has no idea who it is. But then again, he has no idea either, and quite frankly he isn't sure whether he wished he stayed home or not. 

“Of course. Take your time, I have a few things to sign. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

Eggsy sees the dismissal for what it is, and walks out of the office with the papers. He sees Roxy still looking down at her wrist on the couch. She looks up briefly at the sound of the door closing, and then back down again. 

“Rox, Harry asked us to lunch. I’m gonna go, you wanna go home?”

She nods briefly. Looking up at Eggsy with something he can only justify as a haunted look. He understands, he feels it too. Because he doesn’t know who his soulmate is, he knows who he wishes it is, and he knows Roxy wishes it was Merlin. He plans to ask Merlin soon if he has a soul mark, because he needs someone to be happy. They enter the elevator, Eggsy presses the lobby button, and then looks over to Roxy.

“I’m fine, Belle. You have lunch with Harry, we can go out later for a drink, okay? You can tell me about it.”

“You sure, Rox?” She nods and then smiles at him. He leaves the topic alone for later. The lobby is empty still, he hands her the papers. She waves at him as she walks out the front doors, he watches her get into the doors of the cab that had waited at the front, and disappear. 

Harry steps off the elevator 5 minutes later, smiles at Eggsy and walks over to him. 

“I’m guessing Roxanne decided to not go after all?”

Eggsy smiles up at him, and nods. Harry luckily doesn’t ask any more questions, and just starts walking towards the doors after nodding. 

“We’re going to a little cafe down the street, I go there every day. It has the best tea I’ve ever had. You’ll love it,” Harry states as they walk down the sidewalk. They arrive at the shop within 7 minutes. 

Harry holds the door open for Eggsy and he cannot help but look at Harry’s arm, where his own soul mark is. He feels the familiar hope creep into his chest, because he knows that Harry is everything he has ever wanted and so much more. But hope is dangerous, and so he tries to push the thought of his own soul mark out of his mind and enjoy lunch with Harry. He says 'thanks' and walks into the small cafe Harry has lead him to.


	2. The Sky's the Limit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eggsy and Harry have lunch and flirt, Eggsy talks with Merlin, and Dean is an asshole (like always).

The shop is small and cozy. Warm in a way Eggsy can only associate with as ‘home’, and he understands why Harry likes it so much. He points Eggsy to a corner table, so Eggsy goes to sit down while Harry orders for them. He had mentioned once they walked in that he eats everything, couldn’t be picky where he lived. Harry smiles at the girl at the counter and says something that Eggsy can’t make out. He stares at Harry’s profile, slope of the nose, jawline, shoulders that are still defined through Harry’s bespoke Kingsman suit. He quickly looks away when Harry suddenly starts walking back after paying. Eggsy had made a fuss out of that, he could pay for himself. But Harry was a gentlemen, and he had invited him, so he pays. 

“You can pay next time, would that make it equal?” Harry had said, and Eggsy blushed to the tips of his ears at the prospect of a next time and then mumbled out a confirmation.

Harry gets to the table within 10 seconds of leaving the counter, does his smile that makes Eggsy’s heart beat faster, and then tells him he got him some sort of burger and chips combo. Eggsy smiles at him, and nods that it was a good choice. 

“Is Ms. Roxanne okay? You said she had gotten a phone call, correct? You looked worried,” Harry says a few seconds after sitting down. Eggsy thinks briefly about what he should say, because he feels horrible lying to Harry but cannot break Roxy's trust. 

“She just got some…” he hesitates, “news recently. She was kinda shocked, yeah?” 

Harry looks at him and his understanding. A girl comes over and puts 2 cups of tea on the table and leaves, Eggsy smiles into the sugary mug of tea, because of course Harry likes his tea sweet. 

“I’m sorry, I hate bitter tea. If you’d like a new cuppa, I’ll ask Marcie,” Harry says, sounding nearly bashful. 

“No, tea’s good. Thanks, Mr. Hart.” He takes a sip of his tea and tries not to think about how he would love to see what Harry’s mouth tastes like. Mint mixed with tea? Sweets? 

“You can call me Harry. It’s only fair since I call you by your name. I’d like to consider we’re closer than strangers, right?” Harry explains, he breathes deeply, waiting for rejection. But he only finds that Eggsy’s eye dim before his smile brightens, and he nods frantically. He mumbles his name a few times, seeing how it feels. 

They talk about themselves for 10 minutes waiting on the food. Eggsy learns that Harry hates Chester King but is too polite to be rude, that he had a dog named Mr. Pickles (“Harry, don’t wanna be rude, but that’s a horrid name for that poor dog,”) and other small facts that really just made Eggsy more fond of the older man. It really shouldn’t be cute that he truly is late to everything, but it is. Eggsy tells him about Daisy for a while, and then his mum (he leaves out Dean for good reasons), about his gymnastics and how he got the scar in his left eyebrow and other little things. Harry ends up telling him that he actually recently got his soul mark. Eggsy says he had too, and both of them look briefly shocked they admitted it. Neither of them talk about their love life in general. 

Eggsy briefly fantasizes about finding out if Harry’s mark matches his, about asking him to roll up his sleeves and seeing that their marks match. But hope has never gotten him anything but hurt, and so he’s grateful when the food arrives. He tries not to watch Harry’s mouth when he starts eating, but it's a lost cause. They move on to friends, 5 minutes after the food arrives Harry gets a text from Merlin. He apologizes before calling Merlin and standing a few feet away at an empty table.

“What do you mean ‘I got my mark,’ Merlin?” there is a pause, and then nearly inaudible to Eggsy, “Yes, I took him to lunch,” another pause, “no she had to leave.” 

Eggsy tries to stop listening, but he knows they’re talking about Roxy, and that means that Merlin got his mark and is now asking about Roxy. Which, by Eggsy’s best guess, means that Merlin wants it to be Roxy too, just like she wants it to be him. He solidifies the plan to ask Merlin what his mark is of. There is more hushed whispering from Harry and then he is back, apologizing again. Eggsy smiles at him instead of saying anything. 

“Everythin’ good, bruv?” 

“Fine, just Merlin had to tell me something. He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

Around 30 minutes, and some more talking to get to know each other, Harry states that he has to leave. For a brief few seconds, Eggsy cannot keep the disappointment off his face. Harry looks guilty, and then offers lunch on Monday, since their time-slots are nearly the same. They exchange numbers, Eggsy putting his contact name in the older man’s phone as ‘Eggsy’ with a suit next to it, and Harry looks fondly exasperated before he says his goodbyes.

Eggsy rides back to the shop with a dumb look on his face, smiling so hard it nearly hurts. Harry texts him to make sure it is Eggsy’s number, and they continue to text even after Eggsy is sure Harry arrives at work. It takes nearly 20 minutes to get back to the shop, but Harry texts him through it so he doesn’t care. 

He walks in the shop and smiles at Dagonet and Andrew, who works with Dagonet at the back and is rarely seen, both who are standing fixing ties. Tristan and Percy are standing by each other talking about something. He finds Merlin, still in his suit, in his office staring at his wrist with his jacket off and sleeves rolled up. It’s hot outside today, it makes sense. But Eggsy cannot help that his eyes are automatically drawn to the mark on his wrist, same as Roxy’s. For a second, jealousy seeps into him, but it’s gone before he realizes it was there.    


Merlin smiles at Eggsy, noticing him only when he knocks. Eggsy is still staring at the mark, though, and Merlin looks briefly pained at the idea that other people can see it. Eggsy decides that he will only intervene if they can’t figure it out within the next week. 

“You got the papers, then, lad?” 

Eggsy nods and tears his eyes away from the mark on Merlin’s wrist, tries to think of why he is here instead of the fact Roxy’s soulmate is Merlin, Merlin who she loves. Merlin who loves her. He tries to not be envious and fails, because he wishes Harry was his, he wishes Harry loved him. But Harry has been nothing but friendly, will never be anything but friendly. 

“Where is Roxanne? Thought she was gonna have lunch with ya,” Merlin says, sounding confused and almost - nearly - desperate. He probably wants to see, wants to check to see if she has her mark too, probably wanted to talk to her about it. 

“She went home, got some  _ news _ earlier,” he pauses while trying to get Merlin to hear the implication, “I can call 'er if you need me to?” 

Merlin sighs, shakes his head. “I’ll talk to her Monday, then.” 

Eggsy tries not to bang his head against a wall. Because _is Merlin really that thick_? It’s not that hard to see the way that Roxy looks at him, so different from everyone else. Soft, in a different way than she looks at Eggsy. Because she loves Eggsy, of course, but it’s brotherly more than anything. He can see it, the shift from him to Merlin. He looks at Harry the same way, he can tell. The shift in expression, he wonders if it is as obvious to Harry. The softness, the fondness, the blushing at any slight compliment. Which is a lot, because Harry, from what Eggsy can tell so far from the lunch and texting, gives these small compliments casually, friendly. But it still makes Eggsy blush all the same. 

“If that’s all, guv, I need to talk to Roxy about _something_ ,” Eggsy explains, and he tries to make it sound obvious that he is gonna talk about something important. But judging by Merlin’s look, he’s truly as thick as Eggsy had thought when it comes to Roxy. He waves to Merlin and walks out the door, glancing at the mark once more and then the way Merlin seems almost disappointed that Roxy had left, Eggsy can tell in the way he goes back to staring at his own mark with a crease between his brows.

He walks out the shop after having a short conversation with Dagonet asking what was wrong with Merlin, Dagonet says he doesn't not actually know and so Eggsy decides to just go home. He takes the tube back to the estates, it’s nearly sundown by now since it sets earlier. His lunch with Harry had been late, but Harry was obviously a higher level, and so Eggsy assumed it didn’t matter. The tube had come late as well. His mum and Daisy is up when he walks in, Dean nowhere in sight. Relief floods through him. 

“Luv, thought it was your day off?” His mum looks at him from the kitchen, Daisy in her chair colouring something in all green. Eggsy entered the kitchen and looks at it, Daisy finally sees him as he comes to a stop beside her. She smiles widely. 

  
“Eggy! Eggy! Look, me ‘n you,” she screams, smiling broadly with a missing tooth and shoving her drawing at him. It looks like two broccoli people, but Dais doesn’t need to know that and so he instead smiles down at her. She’s already 4 now, growing so fast. 

“Oh my Dais’, look at it! Are you done with it yet,” she nods her head, “so I can hang it up then, luv?” She nods at him again, and he mumbles another ‘it’s great, luv’ and a ‘ta’. 

She smiles again at him widely and he smiles back at her with love, he looks back over to his mum and tells her where he has been, remembering her question. He mentions his lunch with Harry, and his mum automatically knows.  _ Is it that easy to read me,  _ he thinks. Because his mum looks at him and asks him more about Harry. He goes on and on about everything he can think of that Harry had told him. He remembers then that he hasn’t actually told her that he had gotten his soul mark.

“Mum, I… I got it. My mark.” He tries to smile, but all he can think of is Harry is again and so instead he says nothing else, watching as his mum immediately puts it together, that he wants it to be Harry and yet he has no idea who it is. She looks at him with fondness. 

“That’s great, luv. I’m sure they’ll love you to bits. Can I see it?” She knows he prefers blokes a little more than birds, and he's grateful she says "they'll."

He smiles, and he shows her his mark. She mutters something about gold as she looks at it, smiling softly and looking nostalgic, he can tell she is thinking about his da, he pats her shoulder. He goes to his room after kissing Dais on her forehead as she draws something else that looks slightly like an apple in a yellow crayon, his mother hasn’t gotten done cooking yet. He immediately calls Roxy after hanging up Dais' drawing, she answers after 3 rings.

“Eggsy? You okay?” she sounds concerned, and Eggsy feels the need to smack his head against a wall on how she had asked  _ him  _ that, when she was the one who wasn’t okay. 

“Am  _ I  _ okay? 'm fine Rox. I had lunch with Harry, I got home safe. The more important question is if  _ you’re  _ okay, luv. Merlin said he wanted to see you Monday, by the way, if you’re feeling up to it, yeah?”

Roxy audibly sighs into the phone and mutters an, “I don’t know what to do, Eggsy.” Eggsy can feel his heart shatter at how sad she sounds. He carefully chooses what to say. 

“I’m sorry, luv. You know I’ve never been very good at love. Just talk to him, yeah?” He tries to convey calmness, because she doesn't know that her mark matches Merlin's and Eggsy doesn't want to take telling her away from Merlin.

She laughs and hums her agreement, and that’s the end of it. They talk about what they normally do. Until of course Harry comes up, because of course Rox had remembered what he had said about having lunch with Harry. She teases him relentlessly, he teases her about her crush too, and things go back to normal. Except of course that they’re both pining after older men, the only difference between them is Roxy will get her happy ending and he won’t. He is happy for them, though. They say their goodbyes and agree to hang out the next day with Jamal and Ryan. Eggsy decides to text Harry. Harry replies within 2 minutes, in full sentences and perfect grammar. They continue their earlier conversation about Eggsy’s nickname. 

_ It is a very interesting moniker, I will give you that.  _

Eggsy laughs in his room. His nickname was from his da, an inside joke. But he doesn’t tell Harry that yet, he will. He would tell him anything, if Harry asked he would answer, even if he hasn’t told many people about his nickname. He had never wanted to, really. 

_ u got a nickname 2, dontcha?  _

Eggsy doesn’t truly mean to try and pry into Harry’s personal life with friends, but he cannot help but be jealous of any imaginary person that had gotten that close to Harry. 

_ I don’t, actually. No one has ever tried except Merlin. Bond, he calls me. Mainly just to annoy me, I do it to him too, say he can be Q.  _

Eggsy pasuses, tries to think of Harry in the old spy movies he use to watch, and he can imagine it. Handsome, gentleman spy Harry Hart wearing a penguin suit. Killing men with his bare hands, guns and bullets and explosions. He stops that train of thought when he starts thinking of what those calloused hands could do to him, how strong he is. Because Harry’s hands are strong and calloused, he told him it was because of the military and later working out to keep in shape. He’s also fit, strong in a way that made Eggsy want to be held up on a wall and snogged senseless. 

It really wasn’t his fault, though. Harry was everything, absolutely everything he wanted. 

_ suits u haz  _

Harry smiles in his living room. Eggsy smiles widely on his bed. Haz, Eggsy thinks it fits him. 'Harry' was too formal for how he felt about the older man. So, Haz it was. 

_ Haz? I like to think that suits me then? _

Eggsy smiles even wider at Harry’s apparent confusion on the name, but Harry seems pleased enough with it, which makes him smile so hard it nearly hurts. The conversation moves on to hobbies, mates, childhood memories (which Eggsy carefully avoids, most of his life was spent in fear and pain). It only suits him that they end up at soul marks after Harry had told him that his parent’s weren’t soulmates. Eggsy tells him that his parents were.

Eggsy carefully writes out the next text,  _ u said u got ur mark, ya?  _

Harry takes 5 minutes to reply, Eggsy nervously staring at his phone and then deciding that was lame and just going to mess about on the net. He quickly switches back to his texts when Harry does text back.  _ Yes. Recently, in fact. I haven't the foggiest clue who it might be.  _

Eggsy tries not to immediately ask him what it looks like, he is stuck between being polite like Harry, being nosy, and not having his hopes crushed. He’s scared, if he’s honest with himself. Terrified that Harry might not have the mark that he does. Because what if he doesn't, he wonders what that would feel like,  _heartbreak._

In his own home, Harry drinks scotch (an after work ritual, he figures he deserved to go home early since it was Saturday after all and he was suppose to have the day off, but Chester needed something done). He tries to imagine Eggsy’s mark. Perhaps his soulmate is Roxanne, she surely is younger and beautiful and much more suited to Eggsy. But he doesn’t dare ask, he refuses to be a jealous old man pining after his new companion. 

Eggsy types for 2 minutes before replying with,  _ me 2.  _ Harry first thought is,  _ why did that take so long,  _ and then  _ that means I have a chance.  _ But he really doesn’t have one, because Eggsy is half his age and obviously friendly enough, which means he is not flirting. The conversation quickly moves on, and Harry tries not to linger on the thought that Eggsy may soon figure out his soulmate is some younger person, beautiful and willing to give him the world. He downs his drink. 

The conversation keeps going strong, Harry asks tons about his sister, and he sings her praises, and Harry seems genuinely interesting. Eggsy thinks that if he isn’t already half in love with the man, he is right then. Soon enough, Eggsy calls the older man, because texting is fine but he loves Harry’s voice, the timber, the chocolate smooth syllables. Harry picks up on the second ring, and immediately the conversation continues. 

Eventually the front door slams, Eggsy immediately knows its Dean. He hears shouting and then his mum whimpers, audible from his room. Daisy starts crying then too, and Eggsy is out of the room before he can even think twice, throwing his phone on the bed and not bothering to answer when Harry asks if everything is okay. He takes Daisy into the room and tries to calm her down, he quiets fractionally and he gives her one of her dummies and setting her on his bed and handing her his phone to play with. He goes back into the living room to find his mother cowering by the couch, an already forming bruise on her cheek and a drunk, slurring Dean above her screaming. He feels rage course through him. 

He doesn’t think twice about hitting Dean, he doesn’t even care about what happens to him. Dean turns around after Eggsy lands a punch on his back, anger in his eyes. Eggsy feels nothing at all as Dean pummels him, kicks him in the ribs. Eventually he pulls back enough, and Eggsy runs, his mum screaming at him to and to take Daisy and just go. He runs to his room, grabs his phone from Daisy and his jacket, picks Daisy up, and wraps her blanket around her. He can hear Harry on his phone but instead focuses on getting out of the house, running past Dean, who stumbles after him. 

He is safely out the house, Daisy crying, when he puts the phone back up to his ear. He can hear Harry asking him if he is okay, asking him what the bloody hell happened. He doesn’t hesitate in telling Harry about Dean, the abuse, because it’s Harry, and he trusts him with anything. 

Harry's blood runs cold when he hears how this man, who is suppose to protect Eggsy, has instead hurt him repeatedly. He feels himself want to kill this man he has never even met nor saw. He doesn’t wait in giving Eggsy his address, and promptly shuts Eggsy down when he says that he has his sister and he can always go to one of his mate's houses. He tells him that he will send a cab in a tone that is not to be argued with, and so Eggsy gives him an address of where he is standing, a few blocks from his flat. 

It takes all of 10 minutes for the cab to arrive, and then a while longer for the cab to make it to Harry’s house. Daisy has calmed down, but Eggsy still winces every time he moves, his ribs aching and his head pounding. Harry meets him at the front door, and Eggsy cannot help but look at what he is wearing. A soft looking cardigan, button up, slacks. Casual, comfortable, and Eggsy falls a little more in love, because only Harry would wear slacks as something casual and still look like a damned model. He tries to smile while carrying Daisy on his hip, which hurts like a bitch frankly, but it looks more like a grimace than anything. 

Harry says nothing as he ushers Eggsy into his living room, and he watches closely as the younger man winces at nearly every movement he makes. He can feel his anger building and twisting. He makes a vow as he looks over at Eggsy sitting on his couch, hurt, trying to comfort his small sister with silly faces despite his bruises that he will never let anyone hurt _ his boy  _ again, especially not Dean. He starts planning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta'd! This took me a while to write, mainly because I am lazy and partly because I keep changing my mind on what parts I wanna write in what chapters.  
> New chapter soon (hopefully).


	3. To Make a Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry takes care of Eggsy, and Daisy loves him.

Harry looks downright pissed, a dark look on his face that softens when he sees Eggsy and Daisy, but the anger stays for Dean, will always be there. He ushers Eggsy into the kitchen after Eggsy takes off his and Daisy’s shoes, looking uncomfortable. Harry assesses his wounds from a distance, he spent time in the army for a stint as a medic, but left some time later to pursue being a lawyer.

He notices the way Eggsy winces at every movement, tries to hide it but can’t quite keep the pain off his face. Harry’s blood boils, a rage he can only describe as animalistic. Eggsy is sitting on a stool with Daisy on his lap, who is still crying, Eggsy trying hard to comfort her in the unfamiliar place. 

Harry walks up to them, smiles at Eggsy before gesturing to Daisy in order to ask if he can try. Eggsy nods, and Harry bends down so that he is the looking up at them, Daisy turns to him, eyes red-rimmed and tears on her cheeks. He gives his best comforting smile. 

“Hello, my name’s Harry Hart, what’s yours?” he says, sticking his hand out for her to take. She looks at him oddly but takes his hand. He shakes it and then releases it.

“‘M Daisy,” she replies, carefully looking at him. Harry smiles at her, glancing at Eggsy’s face before returning his eyes to Daisy. 

“Daisy? My, my. What a pretty name. Would you like a treat then, Miss Daisy?” he asks, glancing at Eggsy again and seeing him nod. Daisy smiles and nods enthusiastically, she had stopped crying to his great relief.  

He stands, knees protesting at the sudden movement, before holding out his arms for Daisy. She looks hesitant for a second, looking to Eggsy, but upon seeing him smile she allows herself to be picked up. 

He carries her off to where he keeps his treats for the occasional day he does eat them. He allows her to pick out of his small collection, and he carries her back to where Eggsy is still sitting, smiling but obviously in pain. Harry sets Daisy on the floor, she smiles up at him, and Harry realizes that she has warmed to him greatly. He focuses his attention on Eggsy, Daisy eating her snack. 

“I would like to check out your wounds, if I may?” 

Eggsy nods briefly, glancing down at Daisy before looking back to Harry. Harry takes his cue, and Eggsy shrugs off his jacket only to reveal a long sleeved shirt. Harry feels brief disappointment, but it is colder now, so he cannot blame the younger man. 

Harry moves his hands down to Eggsy’s shirt, and after receiving a nod, slides the shirt up to reveal his abdomen. He feels anger course through him again. The younger man’s abdomen is black and blue, bruises covering it’s expanse. 

After some careful examination, he determines that nothing is broken or fractured (luckily) and the slight black eye that the younger man sports isn’t as bad as it could be. Daisy finishes her snack, and stands up only to tug at Harry’s trousers, holding her hands up. Harry picks her up, feeling a rush of fondness for the girl. 

Eggsy cannot help but feel even more attracted to the man, because not only does Daisy love him already, but the older man likes Daisy too. Obeying her wish to be held without prompting. Harry retreats to what Eggsy assumes is a bathroom and returns with some pain medicine, handing them to Eggsy with Dais still in tow and fills up a glass with water and hands it to him. 

Eggsy smiles gratefully, and swallows the pills. He feels exhaustion catch up with him, but tries to stay up. Daisy is asking Harry any and all questions that come to her mind, her fit earlier not even remembered. 

“D’ya like Sesme Street?” (Eggsy chuckles to himself, she still cannot say Sesame to save her life). 

“I do indeed, Miss Daisy,” Harry replies, thought Eggsy is sure it is just for Dais’ benefit. She smiles at the older man, and Harry motions him into the living room to sit on the plush couch in front of a TV. Eggsy sits on the left and Harry sits beside him, Daisy sitting on his lap on the two-seater. Harry turns on the telly,  _ My Fair Lady _ flickering to life on the screen. 

“Oi! Love this movie,” Eggsy exclaims from his side.    


“Well, you’re just full of surprises,” Eggsy looks over to Harry. Daisy is playing with his collar, and Eggsy feels himself blush at the statement. Daisy starts playing with the older man's glasses. 

“Bruv, ‘s a classic, yeah?” 

Harry smiles slightly at him and asks him if he has ever seen  _ Pretty Woman,  _ but Eggsy shakes his head. 

“We can watch it another day, then.” 

Eggsy feels himself blush again, at the thought of 'another day,' and then Daisy starts with the questions again, Harry answering each with a soft voice. Sometime later, he is drifting to sleep, pain subdued because of the medicine, exhaustion catching up with him. 

Daisy drifts off nearly an hour after her brother, tuckered out by the excitement of the day. He doesn’t truly want to wake Eggsy up, the younger man looks so peaceful, face not marred by pain. But he doesn’t want the younger man to sleep on his couch, not when the guest room would avoid some of the pain he would feel in the morning. He carefully, so he doesn’t wake up Daisy, wakes Eggsy up.

Eggsy’s first thought is,  _ where the fuck am I,  _ and then,  _ holy fuck.  _ Because Harry Hart is there, all soft expressions and with his baby sis sleeping on his chest like it’s a pillow. Eggsy briefly wishes he could do that too, and then his mind clears and he realizes that Harry is telling him that he has a guest room. The telly is off, and Eggsy realizes he must have been asleep for a little while. 

Harry gets up carefully, Daisy in his arms, and leads a tired Eggsy up the stairs into his guestroom. It’s not very personal, rarely used, but it does it's purpose. He goes to his own room and returns with a pair of joggers and an over-sized white shirt. Daisy still hasn’t stirred and so he points Eggsy to a bathroom down the hall so he can change and puts Daisy into the guestbed. He steps out of the room, and Eggsy briefly smiles at him and murmurs ‘night’ when they pass each other in the hall, and then Eggsy disappears into the guestroom. 

Harry tries not to think about the sight of a tired Eggsy in his clothes, too big in some places. He heads back downstairs and turns off the lights in the house and sets his alarm before going back to his own bedroom upstairs. 

He changes into his own clothes before going into his office and calling Merlin, who answers even at the late hour. It’s near midnight now. Harry is glad he doesn’t have work tomorrow.    
  
“Hart, it is near midnight. Ya realize that, right?” 

Harry chuckles slightly, and snarkily replies with a, “Not even a hello, Merlin? I’m hurt.”

Merlin sighs into the phone and asks him why he is calling at such a late hour. Harry explains with some detail. Eggsy’s fleeing, Merlin immediately knows the cause is Dean because working with someone for so long he had learned things. They talk for a while, and Merlin can hear the how angry Harry is despite the calm tone he has. 

“I’m gonna remove this man from his life forever,” Harry says, and he sounds so adamant that Merlin hums his agreement. 

“I’ll help with whatever, Harry, you know that.”

They decide to avoid getting the man arrested, because Harry knows that would mean that the family needs the money. They decide that they have enough evidence from Merlin’s dip into the man’s life that they will blackmail him. Force him to stay away from the family, and pay for their move. 

They say their goodbyes after they decide on a plan, and Harry feels significantly better having an actual plan that will go into effect tomorrow. He climbs into his bed with a renewed sense of calm, he has a task ahead of him. He will do it, gladly, for Eggsy. 

He dreams of the younger man that night, soft smiles and domestic bliss. 

In the guestroom, Eggsy lays beside his sister, sleepy but unable to actually fall asleep. Daisy is snoring to his left, calm and dreaming. Peaceful in her sleep, an ironically sharp contrast to that day. He smiles sleepily, and thanks whatever gods there are that his little princess won’t remember this day soon enough. 

His body still aches slightly, a reminder, but the medicine has gotten rid of most of it, thankfully. He thinks of Harry some room down the hall, sleeping peacefully as well. Eggsy wonders if his arms are finally in view. If he went to his room right now, would he be able to see the same mark he has on Harry’s arm? 

In his state, half-asleep and on some medicine that makes him feel like he is on a cloud, he cannot help but hope. Because his defenses are weak, and he is in Harry’s home, in his  _ clothes.  _

Eventually he falls asleep, and he dreams of butterflies and Harry Hart. Freedom, a life without Dean Baker. A life where everything in his life has fell into place. His last conscious thought is of Harry, his smile and the way he had willingly let some chav he just met a few days ago into his home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me like 3 hours to write and mainly because it is very short and I'm sure I will dislike this later and edit it but at least I updated sooner than normal.  
> Hope you enjoy!


	4. Domestic Chronicles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The siblings spend their first full day at Harry's. They pine for each other discreetly, and Daisy is an absolute angel (as always).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to write. My college classes were ending and my finals are soon. I've been so stressed. I've also been writing this since the 3rd, so hopefully it's all good.  
> Hope you like it!

Eggsy wakes up to pain, and Dais pushing his face, murmuring something about food. The clock by the bedside blinks 08:07 in bright red. He has a brief thought of just going back to sleep, because his ribs hurt and he’s so tired. But Daisy is restless, wiggling on the bed and she keeps talking about food and she’s still touching his face.

“‘kay Dais, ‘m gettin’ up, yeah?” She whines his name and he sits up. He takes stock of his surroundings, and can now smell the food from the kitchen. _I’m at Harry’s house_ is his first rational thought, and then _food._

Because he hasn’t ate since lunch the last day, and he may be tired but food is worth it. He looks around the bedroom. The walls are an off-gray colour. There is a painting of some pond on the wall by a window,. The sheets on the bed are dark red, a blood colour. There is a mirror on the loo’s door.

He gets out of bed, telling Daisy to follow him. She says she has to use the loo, and so he lets her. He uses it after, washes both of their hands. He notices the toothbrush and a change of clothes for him on the counter of the sink, and smiles at the thoughtfulness of Harry. There is some trousers, only slightly big on him, and a button up shirt that fits decently enough.

He brushes both his and Daisy’s teeth, her making faces and trying to swallow the toothpaste. He can’t change her clothes, though, and guesses Harry probably didn’t have any clothes for kids of any kind.

When he and Daisy arrive downstairs, Harry is in a red robe and reading a newspaper sipping tea at the large table, hair curled around the edges of his forehead. There is breakfast on it, and when Harry hears them he puts down the paper he was reading and smiles at the siblings.  
  
“Ah, I was wondering if I needed to wake you. How do you feel?” Harry asks, and Eggsy smiles back slightly and sets Daisy on a chair beside Harry’s one at the head of the table.  
  
“Nah, bruv, Dais wakes up early, ‘m feeling…” he hesitates, “fine.” Harry looks at him with disbelief and he smiles at the older man sheepishly. “‘ve been worse, yeah?” A brief emotion that Eggsy can’t discern passes over Harry’s face, and is gone just as quick as it came.

“Well, I’ve made breakfast for the both of you. I’ve already ate.”

Eggsy nods and mumbles, “ta, ‘arry” before feeding both himself and Daisy. She loves breakfast, it has always been her favorite meal. She had a habit of calling eggs “Eggy” because that’s what she called Eggsy, and children don’t have a great grasp on the concept of names.

Daisy manages to get most of her own food on her clothes, regardless of him feeding her, and Eggsy has a moment of panic when he realizes that she doesn’t actually have a change of clothes for after her bath. He looks over at Harry, who still sits at the table in the damned red robe (which Eggsy really shouldn’t find totally adorable but does). Harry looks up, and quickly realizes what is wrong automatically.

“I can take you to a shop. To get Miss Daisy some clothes, of course. And yourself, if you’d like.” The older man phrases it like a question while sounding like giving an order. Eggsy nods his consent, because they do need clothes, they can’t go back to the flat for a while. The last time something like this happened, he had stayed at Jamal’s place for a week and a half.

The older man hums and takes the dirty dishes into the kitchen, and Eggsy protests, saying that he should help seeing as he made the mess, but Harry puts the dishes in the washer and tells him that he will wash Daisy’s clothes so that they can go out later.

“It’ll be a bit before they’re done. I’ll get dressed. The telly is on, I was watching a film earlier if you’d like to let Miss Daisy watch something. The remote is on the cushion.” With that, the older man disappears upstairs in a flurry of red, briefly coming back down to give Eggsy a shirt, saying the house is cold and Daisy should wear it.

Eggsy puts the shirt on the girl. When he flips the telly to Disney, _The Little Mermaid_ flicks on. He places the small girl on the couch. Daisy, who has watched the movie a minimum of at least 20 times in two months, shrieks and immediately quiets down and starts watching it. Eggsy likes the film too, not as much as Dais does, but close enough. He had always liked swimming, it was the one thing his da had taught him to do before he had died.

By the time that Harry emerges from upstairs Ariel has lost her voice and is walking on land. Eggsy is engrossed in the plot, he wouldn’t properly admit it but when he had gained some age he had fancied Prince Eric quite a bit.

Harry stops in his tracks at the scene. Eggsy and his little sister sitting on his couch, the former in his clothes, watching _The Little Mermaid_ of all things. He smiles before clearing his throat to signify he is there.

Eggsy and Daisy both quickly look up, the girl just as quickly returning to the movie, and Eggsy smiling sheepishly at the older man, as if to say _‘it was her idea.’_ Harry smiles fondly and shakes his head.

Eggsy rapidly notices many things in a row. First is that Harry is no longer wearing the robe. Secondly is that his hair is no longer curly, but instead is parted smoothly like always. Third is that he looks _gorgeous._ He’s wearing dark grey trousers, dark oxfords, and another soft looking tan cardigan that is similar to the one last night. Eggsy quickly realizes that not only is he weirdly staring at the bloke, but he’s also been weirdly staring for going on a minute. He quickly looks up to the man’s face. Harry looks amused by it, and he blushes.

“Miss Daisy’s clothes are all done now, if you’d like to dress her. We can head for the shop when you’re done. Unless you want me to wash your clothes as well?” Harry asks him, and Eggsy briefly has a fleeting thought that he wants to wear Harry’s clothes all the time before he pushes that thought away in favor of replying with a shake of the head at the question.  
  
He stands up and then bends down in front of Daisy, who is still watching the telly with keen interest that is almost unnerving, _almost._

“Dais. Y’wanna go to the shop?” he asks her. She looks at his face and hesitantly nods, and he knows she would much rather watch the film but she needs clothes. “Good, well go get dressed,” she nods again, and he walks her to the loo to change. She isn’t quite good at completely putting on all her clothes, and can’t tie her trainers yet but she tries.

She comes back near 5 minutes later, her shirt is crooked and her socks are barely on. Eggsy quickly fixes what is wrong and tells her to sit down while he ties her trainers for her. She says she can do it herself, and so he hands them to her. After a minute and a half he realizes that she isn’t doing it right, and bends down once again in front of her to sing her the song that goes with it. She gets it after one more minute and smiles brightly at Harry, who beams at her, applauding. Eggsy, busy with his own winged trainers, misses the way Harry smiles at him, but Daisy sees it. She’s watched _The Little Mermaid_ enough to know that’s how Ariel looks at Eric.

She asks Harry, when Eggsy bends down, if he has met his soulmate. Harry has a look of surprise, and beside her Eggsy splutters unbecomingly.

“Oi, Dais, can’t just ask someone that!” he whispers to her, but Harry looks amused if anything.

“It’s fine, Eggsy. No, Miss Daisy, I’m afraid I do not know who they are exactly.” Eggsy looks rather baffled at the word “exactly,” but recovers within a few seconds.

“Does that mean you ‘ave your… soul mark?” Daisy asks him innocently, and Harry briefly considers lying. But gentleman do not lie, and he is nothing if not a gentleman.

“I do indeed. I got it a few days ago, in fact.” Daisy opens her mouth again to no doubt continue the interrogation, but Eggsy quickly stops her with a quiet, “maybe later, Dais, when we get back from the shop.” He rather not hear about how Harry is going to find his soulmate soon, jealousy digging its claws into his heart.

Daisy nods, and Harry has a brief emotion pass over his face that Eggsy can only identify as _wistful_ before it is gone just as quick as it came. He looks over at Eggsy and asks if he is ready. Eggsy nods at the older man, and he turns the telly off before grabbing Daisy’s hand to lead her out of the house. There is a black cab parked near the house, and Harry leads them to it and opens the door for Daisy like a chauffeur. Eggsy smiles at them, and Harry expectantly bows before him too, motioning towards the cab like he had with Daisy.

Eggsy laughs, and Harry climbs in and gives him a small smile. There is a booster seat in the car, and Daisy is safely buckled in by the time Eggsy looks over at her. The cab starts driving towards some location that Harry gives the bloke up front.

He doesn’t actually wanna ask where they’re going, sure that the shop is going to be expense. Because Harry lives in the posh neighborhood, has a posh job, and wears bespoke suits every day of the week nearly.

So he sits in the cab, and he stares discreetly at Harry, who sits right next to him, and tries very hard not to let his thigh touch the older man’s own.

The driver over is shorter than he expected it to be. The bloke up front opens Harry’s door and Daisy unbuckles herself and follows Eggsy out of the cab. Harry gestures with his hands at the shop they’re in front of. Eggsy doesn’t actually recognize the name, and he is at least 80 percent sure a single blouse for Daisy would cost a large fraction of the money he has left after Dean takes over his paycheck.

He gulps and follows Harry into the store, holding onto Daisy’s small hand. She looks up at him oddly when he nervously chuckles upon entering the shop but says nothing about it. Harry immediately leads them to the children’s section, which is located near the back, but otherwise very large and spacious.

As soon as they get there, Harry disappears, murmuring something about looking at the other sections of the store. Eggsy leans down in front of Daisy, who looks back at him with a similar amazement that he has at clothes on the racks.

“Dais, Mr. Harry says you can pick out some clothes, okay? Think you can do that?” Daisy, who is still looking around in barely contained wonder, nods her head very quickly and runs off to some other section of the store. He stands where he can see her and waits on Harry to come back.

He wonders vaguely where the bloke went, because what if someone tries to kick him out? He doesn’t even look like he can pay for any of the shite in this store despite his slightly more posh job. The snobs that come to Kingsman probably come to places like this too.

His worries are put to rest when Harry returns. The older man is carrying a pile of clothing. Trousers, shirts, a few pairs of pants. He smiles when he sees Eggsy, and walks quickly over to him. Eggsy looks closer at the clothes, and Harry chuckles at him.

“They’re for you. Figured they’d make do until we could get your clothes back.” Harry says it almost sheepishly, like he is slightly afraid Eggsy might berate him for it. But Eggsy just blushes and thanks Harry quietly. “Would you like to try them on? I’ll look after Miss Daisy for you.”

Eggsy nods and takes the pile of clothes from Harry’s hands. He walks to the front of the store and the bloke at the counter leads him to a fitting room.

Harry stands quietly waiting for Daisy, who looks incredibly fascinated by a flowing dress with yellow daisies on it. She looks over to where he is standing, and he nods at her and smiles. She picks the dress up, and presses it to her front to see it in the mirror. He walks over to her, not knowing if she knows her sizes. She grins at him in the mirror and he bends down to her level, still smiling at her.

“Why, Miss Daisy! You look like a princess!” he exclaims, and she giggles excitedly. “Is that the dress you want,” she nods, “do you know your size?” she shakes her head. He asks her if she would like him to check, she nods again, and he quickly checks her tag. He picks out the right size and bends back down to her.  
  
“Okay, Princess Daisy, show me what else you would like to have today.” She leads him to various shelves, picking out an assortment of items, each one somehow brighter than the last. Harry laughs mentally at the similarity of the two siblings with their love of bright colours.

By the time Daisy is done, and Harry holds her clothes, Eggsy emerges with each item in hand. He looks flustered, but Harry doesn’t particularly mind it. The younger man walks over to him.

“Ta, bruv. They all fit me. Don’tcha think it’s a bit much?” Eggsy looks at him, and Harry’s lip twitches up as he shakes his head. “Oi, Dais, what’d you get?”

Daisy talks excitedly about her dress, and her other new clothes while Harry pays for the items. Eggsy focuses intently on what she’s saying, trying not to hear how expensive this shop is. Harry pays, thanks the bloke ringing him up, and carries the bags over to where he and Daisy are standing.

She smiles broadly at the older man, and Eggsy nudges her. She shoots him a face but still thanks the older man, who says, “Anything for the Princess and Prince.” Eggsy feels his face heat and hides it by looking at his trainers and telling the man thanks too.

The cab isn’t there when they leave the shop, and Harry leads them down the street. Eggsy is holding Daisy’s hand, following Harry, who still is holding all the bags in one hand and walking with such elegance Eggsy trips over his feet. The bloke absolutely is terrible for his health at this rate. He’s sure he has tripped and blushed more in the time he’s know the older man than he has in his entire life.

Daisy barely notices this, still too excited about her dress. Eggsy isn’t sure she’ll ever get over that dress, and she deserves the best, so he smiles at her and nods. Eventually the group reach a bakery. There are a few tables and chairs, and a few people scattered among the space. It’s similar to where Harry brought him yesterday, warm and familiar. _Especially with Harry at your side,_ his brain supplies.

Harry bends down when they near the counter to face Daisy, and asks her, “Princess Daisy, what would you like to eat?” Eggsy smiles down at the scene, heart swelling with the joy he feels. When he’s with Harry he can’t even notice that his ribs are bruised, and everything is brighter. Newer looking, like he’s seen color for the first time.

He looks over the various pastries and tries not to think about it. Daisy is busy ordering anything she wants, and Harry is smiling at her, encouraging her. He orders himself something, and Eggsy gets some sort of sandwich.

They eat, and Daisy manages to get most of the food in her mouth this time, surprisingly. She talks with Harry, who smiles at every question and answers it easily.

“So you’re’a knight, then, ‘arry?” The older man smiles more widely and nods at her. She gasps loudly. “Are’ya my knight?” Harry nods again, this time bowing slightly in his seat. She smiles.  
  
“Do knights marry princes?” Eggsy’s eyes widen, because the words came out with innocence, but there is a hidden implication there, he knows there is.  
  
Harry looks briefly amused and tells her that, “If they want to, they can.” Daisy smiles at the older man, nodding.

The rest of the meal goes with relatively more ease, no more implications or fuck all. Eggsy thanks whatever gods there are for that small fact. He also doesn’t stare blatantly at Harry while the bloke was talking with his baby sis, because that would be weird.

They next go to a shop that sells soaps and shite, because he needs to bathe Daisy and himself. He buys this himself, and gets Daisy a rubber duck.

They leave, the cab waiting for them at the curb and Eggsy wonders what sort of posh arse company gives employees cabs for their personal use. He decides he really doesn’t care, because being with Harry with Dais feels good, normal.

When they get back to Harry’s place, he washes himself and Dais, and changes himself into the new clothes. Daisy says she can dress herself, and so he lets her. Eventually, she decides on some yellow blouse, and green trousers with blue socks. He doesn’t have the heart to tell her that she doesn’t match, so he leaves her be.

She says she’s sleepy, and so he puts her down for a nap in the guest room. Harry is reading something when he comes back downstairs, sitting on the couch, glasses slipping slightly. Eggsy feels his heart expand infinitely. Suddenly gravity is non-existent, and he is soaring. He distantly recognizes that he’s staring like a creep, leaning against the wall, but he can’t bring himself to look away. He slips out of his haze when Harry looks up to meet his eyes, and he blushes. He’s usually much better at this, being discreet. But Harry seems to throw him off balance, makes him lose his sense of gravity.

Harry smiles over at him and puts whatever he was reading down, gesturing to the chair beside him. Eggsy briefly wonders if he should sit directly next to the man. For the first time that day he thinks of his soulmate. He feels a wave of guilt wash over him, but still sits next to the older man, trying not to feel even guiltier.

 _S’not like ‘m cheating_ , he thinks to himself, _I don’t even know who they are._

And he doesn’t. He has no idea who the fuck his soulmate even is, let alone if they’ll even want him.

He stops thinking of his soulmate in favor of watching the film on the telly, a nice distraction. He had loved horror films, but he couldn’t watch them alone. Because despite what Jamal and Ryan would tell everyone, he did _not_ scream like a girl. He screamed like a man, and he wouldn’t really even count it as a scream. Sure, he jumps at the scary parts, but he wasn't _afraid_. He’s an adult, and even Dais could watch them without jumping.

He should have expected it when by the end of the movie he ends up nearly in Harry’s lap, clinging to the bloke like a child. The older man doesn’t even look fazed by the film, mostly just looks amused. Eggsy quickly releases the death grip on Harry’s arm, but makes no move to move back to his original spot. He’s interrupted by Daisy, who comes walking down the stairs dragging the duvet behind her like a cape and Eggsy immediately starts to apologize, but Harry cuts him off with a smile and a wave of the hand.

“Princess Daisy, you’re awake! You look gorgeous, if I may say,” he tells her, and she smiles at him warmly before climbing into his lap. Eggsy is near jealous how easy she can just touch him, and how easy he lets her.

Suddenly he thinks of tomorrow. He has work, Roxy and him do in the morning, so does Harry. He has no clue what he’s going to do with Daisy. Harry, who is telling Daisy about butterflies, looks over at Eggsy, quickly seeing something off.

“Princess Daisy, would you like to go to the park?” he asks her, and she nods quickly. He smiles, and asks her if she can go get her sneakers. She runs off towards the door where her shoes lay.

“Eggsy, my boy, are you quite fine?”

Eggsy looks over at him from where he had been staring at the telly and considers telling him he very much is fine. But he doesn’t want to lie to Harry, so he tells him. “S’just… I dunno what ‘m gonna do with Dais tomorrow. I have work, and I can’t take her back to the flat. I won’t.” Harry nods briefly and contemplates this.

“Do you think your friends would watch her until you get home?” Eggsy thinks about it. Jamal and Ryan love Daisy, both think she is an absolute angel. He can ask them, but he won’t send her back to the estates with them. Dean might see her.

“Dean might see ‘er if they watch her there.” Harry shakes his head.

“I mean they can watch her here, my boy. I said you could stay here, and that offer extends however it needs to.”

Eggsy tries very hard, and fails, to not think about how Harry had referred to his home as Eggsy’s own ‘home’ without thinking. Then he thinks about how the man had already given him so much, an incredible amount that Eggsy can’t pay back.

“Harry… I can’t ask that of you, bruv. You’ve done a ton already.” But Harry just shakes his head and tells Eggsy to ring them up just as Daisy comes back with her trainers. They’re black, and her outfit as a whole makes Harry’s eyes bleed but he’s fond of the girl, and so he says nothing.

Eggsy quickly runs to get his phone from the guest room, which he notices is dead. He sighs heavily, now understanding why Roxy hadn’t tried to ring him all day. He hadn’t even thought of his phone since last night.

He walks back downstairs, and tells Harry, who lets him use his own phone and tells him when they get back from the park they can charge it. He rings Jamal, who is hanging with Ryan at his flat, and tells them what happened. They tell him that they’ll watch her for however many days.

“‘S what good bruvs do, Eggsy. Tell Dais we said ‘hey’ and that we love her. We’ll see you tomorrow, bruv.” Eggsy sighs in relief, and hands Harry back his phone.

‘“All good, then?” Eggsy nods, “Good. Get your shoes on, Princess Daisy is ready for the park.” Eggsy laughs and nods, putting on his winged trainers, and gets on his jacket.

The park, as it turns out, isn’t actually that far from Harry’s house and is extremely beautiful. Daisy, who has always loved playing outside, immediately runs in the direction of where the other tots are playing.

Harry, who is smiling indulgently at the girl, nods his head to a bench a few feet away where they can watch Daisy. Eggsy doesn’t mention the fact that he may sit a little close to Harry, because that doesn’t matter.

It’s a rare nice day, the weather pleasant but not overbearing. Harry, who is watching Daisy from beside him, asks him about Roxy. For the first time, Eggsy has no clue what to say. He hasn’t talked to her since yesterday, and even then it was shorter than usual.

“Wish I knew. Phones dead, remember? We talked yesterday, she’s doin’ better from what I know,” he tells the older man, not including the part where he knows who her soulmate is, or the fact that Roxy even has a soul mark.

“I’m glad. You seemed rather distraught about her yesterday,” Harry says, looking at Eggsy.

“She’s my best mate. I’ll always look after her.” Harry smiles at him slightly, an emotion passing his face that Eggsy can’t recognize and then nothing.

After nearly an hour, Daisy runs back to them and asks for something to drink. Harry asks her if she would like shaved ice or a juice from the shop. Daisy, who rarely gets anything of the kind, asks for shaved ice.

Eggsy thinks about the domesticity of it all. When they arrive at the little stand, the bloke making the ice asks, “What would your daughter like?”

Eggsy has wanted many things in his life, but none quite as much as to be part of a family with Harry, with Dais by his side. He feels guilty for wanting it, sure, but it makes the urge no less strong. Because he wants to be by Harry’s side, and he doesn’t think that will change.

Harry smiles at the bloke but doesn’t correct him, and Eggsy blushes at the thought of being in a relationship with Harry, of having a  
daughter with him. But before long it’s all he can think about. The train of thought is only interrupted when Harry nudges his elbow slightly and asks, “Do you want strawberry or blueberry, Eggsy?”

He quickly stutters out that he wants both, and tries harder to focus on the scene. Daisy, holding onto Harry’s right hand to Eggsy’s left, eating her blueberry treat. Harry in his soft cardigan, telling the bloke making them that he would like a strawberry one and one with both. He smiles and looks down at his winged trainers.

Harry hands him the one with both flavors and pays the man and tells him thanks. They all walk back to the bench, Daisy still holding Harry’s hand. Eventually it gets later, the sun starting to dim in the sky. Harry calls Daisy, who has been talking to some girl she had called “Tilly” since they got her, and she runs over to them.

“Princess Daisy, it’s getting quite late. I was just wondering if you’d want to leave so I can cook dinner,” Harry says, and Daisy immediately nods her head and tells them she’ll be back. She runs off in the direction of Tilly, who’s mum come overs to them when Tilly pulls her along with Daisy.

“Hey, my name’s Venice. I’m Tilly’s mum. She wants to know if your daughter can have a playdate some day?” Eggsy briefly feels surprised, because this is the second time today that someone has called Daisy their “daughter.” He stutters, and Harry quickly steps in, saying that would be fine and asking for the woman’s number to set a date.

They leave the park, Daisy waving goodbye to Tilly and holding both of his and Harry’s hands while walking in the middle. She talks excitedly about her new friend, and Harry and Eggsy nod encouragingly, adding when they need to.

When they get back to the house, Harry goes to make dinner, Eggsy and Daisy go to watch the telly. When the episode ends, near an hour later, Harry is setting the table. Eggsy offers help, but Harry tells him that he has it, so Eggsy sits down and tells Daisy to do the same on the other side of the table.

Harry sets a pot of spaghetti, Daisy’s favorite, on the table, and serves it to them. Eggsy is thankful that he didn’t wash Daisy earlier, because she always gets the sauce everywhere.

They talk about nothing in particular, Daisy throwing in small stories in her own way. Eggsy tries desperately to focus, but can only think of the domesticity of the scene. Him and Harry and Daisy sitting together, eating dinner. The days events run through his mind. The clothes, the various people calling Dais their “daughter.”

He thinks of his soulmate, and wonders if whoever they are will ever match up with Harry. He fears that whoever it may be, whoever’s mark matches his own, he will always compare Harry to them. And they will never even compare at all, Harry will win every time.

He thinks of Merlin and Roxy, who will soon figure it out and be happy together. He sends a prayer up to whatever gods there are that they will be happy, because they deserve it. 

He steadily ignores the voice in his head that tells him that he deserves to be happy with Harry too. He has a soulmate, and it’s not Harry, and he needs to accept that or he’s afraid what is gonna happen to him.


	5. Everything Will Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Eggsy drifts off some time later after cleaning up the food, comfortable and warm. It feels domestic. It feels like home."  
> Or: Roxy and Merlin finally get together & Harry and Eggsy continue to pine. Also, Jamal babysits Daisy.

Monday comes sooner than he expected, Eggsy finds as he wakes up that morning with Daisy loudly snoring beside him. He has never been a fan of being awake early, always preferring to sleep in more than anything. But duty calls, and so he gently shakes Dais awake.

He gets up to take a shower, and then bathes Daisy, letting her put on her new dress after. He hurriedly puts on his full suit, trying his best to tame his hair. He can never quite get it the way Harry’s is, sleek and professional looking but after a while he decides that it looks fine enough for the day. Monday’s are always slow, anyways. 

When he arrives downstairs, Harry is already there eating just like he was yesterday. But this time he is in a full suit, hair done, and he’s on a laptop instead of reading the paper. He looks up at the Eggsy, who is carrying Daisy, and nods at the pair, gesturing to the food on the table.

“Do you remember the address? For your friend,” Harry asks him, and for a second Eggsy panics because he doesn’t remember telling Jamal it, and they have work and he can’t just leave Daisy here to wait for Jamal. 

“Uh… Yeah. I’ll call him, hold on.” 

He pulls out his phone, and dials for Jamal, telling Daisy to go sit at the table so he can fix her plate. But Harry shakes his head and starts making it for him, smiling at Eggsy when he mouths a thanks at the bloke. Jamal picks up on the third ring, and he makes quick work of telling him the address. He tells him that he can stay at Harry’s while watching her, to avoid risk of Dean finding her. 

He arrives within time, which Eggsy is extremely grateful considering he has to leave for work soon. Harry is the one to greet him, and Jamal gives Eggsy a smirk when he enters the door that Eggsy just shakes his head at, glaring at him. He hasn’t actually gotten around to telling his two mates that he had gotten his Mark, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to now. 

Daisy smiles widely when she sees Jamal, always having been fond of him. Jamal picks her up and spins her, asking her how she has been doing. Daisy rambles on about her dress, Jamal listening intently to what she’s saying about the patterns while Eggsy gathers everything Jamal might need. He points at the necessities when he catches Jamal’s eye, and he receives a nod. Jamal, before Eggsy leaves, tells him that he had brought a few toys Dais had left from last time at his place since she didn’t have any here, and Eggsy smiles and hugs him, grateful for it.

When he and Harry walk out of the house, Harry offers him a ride to to work. Eggsy accepts, thankful he doesn’t have to take the tube with the morning rush. They sit in the back of the cab, thighs nearly touching. His brain instantly supplies that  _ nearly isn’t close enough,  _ but he tamps down on the instinct to get closer to the older man. 

By the time the cab pulls up to the shop, it’s nearly time for him to open it, Rox usually coming in around 10 minutes after he does, since she lives further away. It’s become a routine by now, and she always brings him a cup of coffee to get him through lunch, which they order from from Chinese restaurant. It’s their routine, and is fine enough by his standards.    
  
He sits in the back of the taxi a little longer than need be, soaking in Harry’s presence before he offers his goodbyes. Harry smiles at him and nods his head, and then the cab disappears down the street. He goes to open the shop, Merlin had given him a key and he always kept it in his trousers pocket. 

In the morning, the shop is always quiet. The light shining through the windows, people walking by occasionally. He likes being there in the morning despite his hatred for waking up so early. It always gives him a chance to get his thoughts together, to stabilize himself as the day begins. He is especially thankful this week, what with the whole _ Harry Hart Situation _ he had gotten himself into. The bloke had knocked his whole world off its axis. He is spinning out of control. 

He breathes deep and walks up the small staircase that leads to a small room that serves as a sort of sitting room. He likes it, the mahogany tables and soft chairs. He puts his stuff where he always does, and walks back downstairs, because a customer has occasionally come in this early. No one is there, so he sits on the small stool behind the counter, collecting his thoughts. 

Harry has been on his mind since he had met, since the Mark had appeared. Because of course he hopes it is him,  _ fuck, who the hell wouldn’t?  _ But he can’t have the bloke. Harry Hart is untouchable, it seems, invincible. Twice his age, twice the gentleman he is, and to top it off, infinitely out of his league.  _ How could he ever want me anyways?  _

The spiral of his thoughts throw him off, and he tries to calm himself. He refuses to cry over something he has no control over. As a little kid, he had wanted his Mark so bad, had always dreamed of what it would look like, where it would be and in what colors. He had always traces his da’s, his mum’s. Later on, when the kids in his grades had started getting theirs he had been jealous, because  _ where the fuck is my soulmate?  _

And now that he has a Mark he wishes that it had never appeared. Because all it means is that Harry isn’t gonna love him because he has a Mark, and it sure as hell isn’t gonna match his own. Instead of falling deeper down the hole he has dug himself into, he decides to organize the tie display, giving his hands something to do, anything to do. He puts his suit jacket on one of the hangers they have. 

He rolls up his sleeves, because it gets stuffy occasionally in the shop, and even if the morning was cool, the shop is still too warm for him. He sees his Mark, near glowing in the morning light on his arm. He sneers at it, and tries goes back to organizing the display. 

Roxy arrives not too long after, carrying two cups of coffee and looking as put together in her suit as always. Merlin, he knows, will arrive near 30 minutes after Roxy does. He suddenly remembers what happened on Saturday, Merlin and Roxy’s Marks. It’s like a dream really. Rox has been pining after him, and vice versa, since he has known her.

He hopes, and he thinks he probably doesn’t have much sway with the forces of life considering his own situation, that they finally get together. He loves them, but he is very tired of the puppy love looks they send each other’s way, it’s borderline sickening. 

He takes his cup from Rox and smiles at her. They talk about nothing and everything as they prepare the shop for the day. Roxy smiles and laughs, and Eggsy feels lighter than he did earlier. Like suddenly his Mark doesn’t matter quite as much, or maybe it was before he got it. 

When Merlin walks in, Eggsy notices the tension thick in the air. Lightning seemingly crossing between the Merlin and Roxy. But Merlin just smiles and waves like he always does in his patched sweater and slacks and goes to his office. Roxy exhales beside him, and he hadn’t even noticed she hadn’t breathed. He nudges her with his elbow. 

“You should go talk to him. He said he wanted to Saturday, remember?” Roxy looks over at him with something that looks like hesitation before she nods forcefully, like she’s trying to convince herself that it’s a good idea to talk to Merlin alone. He pulls her into a hug and kisses her forehead, “You got it, Lancelot. I believe in you. You’re the bravest, remember?” 

Roxy smiles at him before she disappears off to Merlin’s office, and he pulls out his phone to text Harry. Because there is nothing better to do, and he may or may not miss the older man a little more than he should. He’s never been clingy with the few people he dated, but Harry has been a different story since the day he met him. 

Nothing has been the same since he met Harry, and he doubts it will ever be the same again. 

\---

Roxy’s palms sweat as she walks to Merlin’s office. Because  _ sure, I’ve known him for years. But this is different. Something is gonna change now.  _

She doesn’t really have a plan. She briefly wonders if maybe she should just ask outright if the he fancies her, but she figures that wouldn’t exactly work in her favor. She barely knows why Merlin wants to talk, and she hopes it’s one thing, but it may be another subject completely. 

All she can do is hope, she supposes, as she stands outside of the door with hand hovering in the air. She wants to knock, to just see what is about to happen, but she’s also dreadfully aware that it has been years since she has known Merlin, and  why would everything change now?   


__

She has a strong urge to just not go into the office, to instead go anywhere other than the shop. But she’s never been a coward, and she won’t start now. The knock seems too loud to her ears, and the “come in” she gets just makes her hands sweat more. 

She enters, and is greeted by Merlin’s smiling face. He looks tired today, she notes. Like he didn’t get his normal amount of sleep, which she knows to be at least 5 hours. He also looks nervous, like he wants to say something but doesn’t know how. So she breaks the ice. 

“Good morning, Merlin,” she says, smiling brightly at the older man. With the soft greeting, the tension in his shoulders melts away. The tightness is replaced with a genuine smile, softer. She smiles even bigger at this improvement. 

“‘Mornin, Lance,” he had gotten quite fond of the nickname, “What do you need?” 

She hesitates, unsure as to if she wants to bring it up. “Eggsy said you needed to talk to me,” she says, and it sounds like a mix between a statement and question wrapped into one. She hates the way her voice near wavers, and she tugs at her sleeves discreetly. Merlin nods, opens and closes his mouth, and then tells her to take a seat. 

He has no idea what he wanted to say. He had no idea what he wanted to say that Saturday earlier, he had honestly hoped it would come to him as he went along. Maybe a declaration of love, or maybe he just needed her to be there with him. Or maybe he would have played it off, saying he just wanted to ask how it had gone. 

“Well, Roxy, I–” he starts, honestly glad when she interrupts him. 

“I think I’m in love with you.” 

_ This is so fucked. That was so fucked. What if he doesn’t love me? What if he has a soulmate? I’m gonna lose my job. I’m gonna kick Eggsy’s arse for pumping me up. Fuck this. I’m burning.  _

She takes off her suit jacket, and rolls up her shirt sleeves. Who knew love confessions made you hot? She’s panicking, if she’s being honest. Her heart feels heavy, because Merlin still hasn’t said anything and he’s just staring at her arm like an absolute… She suddenly remembers that she has her Mark, he is staring at in something akin to amazement. 

She closes her eyes, confused beyond belief. Merlin whispers “thank God” before she hears a rustle of fabric, and she wants to look at what he just did but she’s terrified. Because this moment will change everything, for sure. 

She decides it is worth it, and so she looks. Except she is just faced with her own Mark. She has a brief moment of total blankness of mind, nothing at all there. Then everything clicks. 

It’s  _ Merlin.  _ Merlin is her  _ soulmate.  _ She exhales loudly, unsure when she started not breathing. She feels everything click into place, her world tilting back onto its axis. She has dreamed about this day for years, and not once has she had this variation. 

Merlin crosses the the space between them, and she stands. He leans in, smiles softly, and says, “Can I kiss you?” Her skin feels like it is on fire. 

“Please.” 

He kisses the way she expected him to. Soft and rough all at once, and it is exactly what she has always wanted. She brings her hands up to his neck, and he puts one on her jaw and then another on her hip. 

When they part, the first thing Merlin says is, “Finally.” Roxy laughs, because she was thinking the same thing. She looks down at his arm, where their Mark is. It’s beautiful. An absolute miracle. It took years, sure, but it was worth it. 

“I think I’m quite enamored with you too, Lance.” 

\---

Eggsy knows immediately when Roxy exits the office that he won’t need to intervene. She wears this smile, and he feels first a rush of sadness, because even though he won’t admit it, he’s jealous, and then complete and utter happiness. Because fuckin’  _ finally.  _

He grins wolfishly at her, and she blushes a scarlet color before she punches his arm. He smiles, interrupted by 2 dings from his phone. He gives Roxy a wink before he sits down on the stool behind the counter. He’s allowed to check his phone, Merlin had said, as long as there were no customers. There were rarely ever any customers this early. 

The first text is from Jamal, it’s a picture of Daisy and him watching some Disney movie he can’t remember the name of. Daisy looks like she might explode at any second, smiling so wide it looks painful, and Jamal has a similar expression on. He smiles at the photo and saves it, maybe he’ll show Harry. 

He mentally pauses at the idea, surprised to find himself so excited to show the man a photo of his baby sis and one of his best mates. His life has become centered upon the bloke somehow, and he finds that he isn’t at all adverse to it. 

He texts Jamal back and calls him a princess, and switches over to the next new text. This one is from Harry, and is asking him if he would like to join him for lunch at the shop they went to Saturday. He blushes, he feels like some schoolgirl who just got asked out for the first time. He sends back a quick affirmation. He looks up only to see Roxy giving him the same look he had given her about Merlin. 

“Let me guess,” she begins, “it was… Harry?”

He glares at her and shrugs his shoulders slowly, not willing to lie to her but still not wanting to give her the satisfaction. She smiles even wider. 

“Are you gonna tell me what happened?” he asks her, and she jokingly shakes her head. But she does anyways, because they don’t keep anything from each other. Never have, never will. He nudges her arm, and she relents. 

“He’s my soulmate. He’s it. I…” she trails off, seemingly overwhelmed with everything and smiles, blushing at whatever thought she has. 

“I’m happy for you, Rox-a-lot.” He smiles at her widely, happy for the both of them. He thinks of Harry, of himself, of his Mark. He just can’t imagine it happening to him. The conversation changes, everything has changed. 

\---

When his break for lunch comes, he tells Rox he’s going to eat with Harry. She smirks at him, and he gives her a dirty look before he walks out of the break room where she sits, waiting on her food. The doorbell chimes, and he walks to the front to see Harry standing there, looking at an array of ties. He looks up and smiles at him, and he blushes. 

Harry, he thinks, is like the sun. Bright, and the center of his whole damn universe. He smiles back at the older man, and asks him to hold on a second so he can grab his suit jacket. It’s not chilly, but it’s always a good thing to be prepared, Harry had told him. He had rolled his sleeves down earlier, not wanting him to see his Mark, scared of the reality of it all. It’s easier, he thinks. 

The walk to the small shop is peaceful. Harry talks about his day so far at work, about one  _ Charlie Hesketh,  _ who he hates. Harry says the intern is an absolute ‘toff arsehole’. Which, coming from Harry is impressive. He also talks about his boss, Arthur King, who he hates as well. Harry is too polite to talk about them in depth, but Eggsy can tell. 

Harry is wearing a navy suit today, and his tie is some pinstriped detail. It’s beautiful, and obviously Kingsman made. Eggsy wants to ask who did it, half to make sure to compliment them, and half to see if Harry would let him do a suit for him. He decides to wait until later. 

Harry, once again, orders for him. Which Eggsy truly likes, Harry just knowing what he likes already. It’s soothing, comforting. They talk about Daisy, about how Eggsy is thinking of getting a dog, perhaps a bulldog.    


The only interruption comes when Harry gets a call from Merlin, who seems to always call when he’s out with Eggsy. Harry excuses himself politely enough that Eggsy can’t mind the call. He watches Harry’s face discreetly instead, watches how Harry’s eyes widen and then he’s full-on smiling. Obviously good news, obviously the news about Rox and him. 

When Harry gets back to the table, he’s still slightly smiling. But it’s tinged with something else that Eggsy can’t identify and won’t try to. Eggsy recognizes it as the expression he gets himself when he thinks about his soulmate. He decides not to bring it up, Harry obviously doesn’t wanna talk about whoever it is. Which makes Eggsy’s chest hurt. 

He lightens the mood by showing Harry the photo of Daisy, the older man smiling at the screen. Eggsy smiles with him, Harry’s become incredibly fond of his baby sis. He can’t blame him, Daisy is hard to resist. 

The rest if lunch is light, and by the time Harry walks Eggsy back to the shop, he’s full on smiling. Harry, it seems, is also hard to resist. 

\---

The rest of the day for Eggsy is quite boring, if he says so himself. He measures one bloke who is kinder than the norm after lunch, and Roxy and Merlin keep looking at each other with gooey eyes that makes Eggsy tease her relentlessly. He’s glad for them, and this is better than the pining from before, he decides. 

Harry picks him up in a cab that afternoon, saying that he rather not have Eggsy take the tube back if he can help it. It would make no sense, since the taxi’s are always available. He says goodbye to Roxy and Merlin, who are talking to each other with the worst heart eyes he has ever seen, as he walks out, he mimes gagging at Roxy, who rolls her eyes. 

He climbs into the cab, and Harry isn’t there yet. He asks the driver, who says his name is Andy, where he is. Andy replies that Harry is still at the office, and would be done in close to an hour or so. 

“I can wait, so you don’t have to make two trips, bruv.” Andy says that it’s up to him, and he texts Harry quickly, who says that it’ll be a little bit but he is welcome to stay if he would like to. He tells Andy to take him to Harry’s office. 

When he arrives, Amelia, the girl he had met a few days ago, tells him that Harry is waiting for him in his office. When he gets to where Harry’s office is, he knocks softly, hearing a mumble of ‘come in’ from Harry.

Harry is sitting at the desk again, looking for all the world unruffled. He’s no longer wearing the suit jacket, instead going for just his button up, cuffs undone but sleeves not rolled up. Eggsy finds this to be both a blessing and a curse. Because sure he looks absolutely like every fantasy Eggsy has ever had but also he wants to just know what Harry’s mark looks like. Just a glimpse, just a chance. 

He sits on the chair that Harry has in his office, which is near the giant glass wall behind Harry. He’s close enough, he thinks, to feel at ease and far enough to not want to confess every single thing he feels for the man. Harry looks up at him again, “I should be done within the hour. I can still have Andy to take you back to pick up Daisy, if you want.” 

Eggsy shakes his head, he’s content here, and Jamal has been dying to see Daisy for a while. It’s a good change of setting, he decides, for his sis. She loves Jamal, and considering the past few days, she deserves to be with someone who makes her happy and not some random nanny. She loves Jamal, anyways. 

He doesn’t like the way the couch feels, however. It’s stiff, like Harry really doesn’t use it as much as it should be used if it’s there. So he stands up and crosses over to the wall of windows behind Harry’s desk. He decides it’s a much nicer view when he can look down and see it all. Harry doesn’t seem to mind, looking over at him and smiling. It’s beautiful. The other buildings, he can vaguely make out outlines of other people doing their own work, can see tiny specks of life on the street. 

It’s comfortable, even in silence, with Harry. The little people on the street are comforting as well, life going on beyond Eggsy. He takes off his jacket, and then his cuffs are unbuttoned too. He pulls out his phone and goes on Snapchat, sends Rox a picture of the view she had missed Saturday. He doesn’t caption it anything other than ‘Harry’s office is sick’. She sends back a winking face. He subtly takes a picture of himself flipping her off and sends it with a face with its tongue hanging out. She sends one of her smiling back. The talk for a little bit beyond that before Eggsy decides to play a game instead. 

Not even 10 minutes pass when his mother texts him. He feels a sudden rush of panic, because it can’t mean anything good. 

_ Eggsy, luv, how’s Dais doin’?  _

His panic doesn’t subside, it can’t. Dean must’ve been angry at him for running, especially for Michelle encouraging this. But Daisy is happy, loves spending time at Harry’s home. It hits him all at once that he would much rather her live here than with Dean, and that it’s the first time he and her had truly been safe. 

_ Dais is doin’ aces, mum. How’re u holdin up?  _

Because that’s what concerns him. How she’s doing. She never could fight back, and Eggsy had always stepped between her and Dean. Never allowing him to touch her if he had the chance, that went for Daisy too. She doesn’t reply automatically, which makes Eggsy anxious. 

_ Fine, luv. Dean’s been out, mostly. Who’re you stayin with? _

The fact that Dean hasn’t been home much doesn’t truly surprise Eggsy. The prick spends most his days either in the pub or off doing who knows what with his gang. He hated the lot of them, they always had the worst vibe about the. He doesn’t know what to reply to the second part, though. He could tell her the truth, tell her all about Harry Hart. But he doesn’t know how well she would take it. He decides on a part-truth. 

_ A friend, he said we can stay long as we need 2 _

Eggsy looks over at Harry, who is typing on his laptop rapidly, looking rather angry at whatever he is thinking about. Eggsy wishes that the tension in the older man’s body would disappear. He thinks about how much he has done for him and his sis, surely a debt that could never be paid back. Not in this life, at least. 

He texts his mom, tells her that soon he’s gonna get them an apartment. Soon, Dean won’t even be a part of their lives anymore. He truly hopes it’s the truth. 

\---

Harry, currently, is sitting in his office (with Eggsy at his side, watching the view), while talking with Merlin. He had finished what he needed of the day before Eggsy had even arrived, but the plan for one Dean Baker was underway, and he needed some of the finer details to be worked out with Merlin. So here he is, messaging Merlin while Eggsy makes tiny sighing noises every so often at the view. 

So far, Merlin has only gather evidence of Dean’s various crimes, the list ranging from small drug deals to domestic violence to theft. It’s not a slow moving process by any means considering the man has a rap sheet longer than should be humanly possible. It’s easy, as Merlin says, and untraceable to them. 

The plan should be done within the next few days, his oldest friend tells him, maybe by Wednesday. Harry is glad for it, the bastard of a step-father deserves the punishment and more. He smiles suddenly, thinking about finally getting the man away from Eggsy and his family, his sister, his mother. He doesn’t know if he should tell Eggsy, though. Because he could, but what if the young man thinks he crossed a boundary? What if, he thinks, Eggsy leaves him? 

He pushes those thoughts aside, promising himself that he’ll let Eggsy know before it happens. Maybe after. He calls Eggsy’s name, and the younger man looks over at him, smiling. 

“I’m done, if you’d like to head out now. If you’re done with the view, that is.” 

“Your view, bruv, is absolute aces. It’s beautiful.” Harry nods his head, he loves his office’s view. The buildings and the people and the sky. It helps him deal with working for Arthur, and with lazy interns who think they own the place because Arthur is their great-uncle. 

Eggsy stands and grabs his jacket, looking borderline sinful in the tailored white shirt he wears. Harry smiles at him slightly and packs his things, ready to be home already. 

“I can come here again, yeah? It’s nice.” Harry tells him that he is welcome any time, if he wants to start eating lunch here he can. Company is always appreciated, especially to avoid Catherine, who works down the hall and has a habit of flirting with him despite her Mark. 

Andy picks them up, and the ride home takes shorter than it normally does. Eggsy sits closer than proper, and Harry doesn’t mention it, enjoying how the boy seems to nearly gravitate to him no matter where they are. It’s endearing. 

Jamal is sitting on the floor with Daisy in front of the telly watching some Disney movie when they arrive, both of them looking engrossed in whatever is happening. When Jamal notices them he smiles and waves, telling Daisy he’ll be right back. He tells them that he had given her a bath earlier after she ate because she had gotten dirty, and she had already had her nap. Eggsy thanks Jamal, and says, “I’ll owe ya big time, bruv. You’ve been aces.” 

Jamal says goodbye to Daisy when he returns, leaving the various toys he had brought with her. He waves at Eggsy, and tells Harry it was nice meeting him when he leaves. Daisy, who pouts at seeing him leave, perks up when she sees Harry. 

“‘Arry! ‘Arry! Eggy!” she screams, and jumps into Harry’s arms. The older man looks pleased, murmuring a soft, “Hi, Princess Daisy” into the girls hair. Eggsy smiles at the scene, not even jealous that he didn’t get that reaction. 

Harry looks over at him, “I was thinking tonight we could eat Indian food? I’m not the most consistent cook.” Eggsy smiles at him and nods his assent, and tells Harry what he wants as the older man, still carrying his baby sis, orders food. 

They all sit and watch the movie, and when the food arrives Harry quickly pays and returns, and they watch the movie while they eat. Eggsy wonders briefly if Harry has ever done this in his life, been content to eat in front of the telly instead of his table. 

It’s perfect, he decides. Harry is holding Daisy, who has gotten more rice on her lap than should be possible, and he looks content. Eggsy drifts off some time later after cleaning up the food, comfortable and warm. It feels domestic. It feels like home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been extremely tired but I absolutely had to get this chapter done and so I wrote for at least an hour a day. It takes me forever because I keep changing what I want in each chapter. Sorry!  
> New chapter (hopefully) soon!


	6. Butterflies and Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michelle moves in with Harry and Eggsy, and knows they're soulmates immediately (it's not hard). Daisy, as always, is an angel. Eggsy and Harry plan to go to dinner (totally not a date) while Michelle is with Daisy at the play date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I accidentally wrote chapters 6 & 7 in one go because this was originally longer so I split it in half. This half is more half plot, half fluff. The next chapter, which will be uploaded soon, is more plot with Eggsy and Harry (hint!! it's totally a date, which they disguise as an outing because angst).  
> I'm thinking of uploading on a schedule, maybe once a week since school starts soon. The chapters will be shorter, but more often. I don't know which day, suggestions are good.

There are many things that Eggsy Unwin thought he would see before he saw the day that Harry Hart, of all people, was humming to his baby sis while dancing around his kitchen. It’s sickeningly domestic, and makes his heart flutter like one of the butterflies on Harry’s wall has took place there. It’s adorable, and he has been secretly recording it from the counter where he’s perched. He’s smiling like a dope, and Daisy is (trying) to sing along while giggling.

Harry is wearing only part of his suit, his tie, jacket, and oxfords long since discarded. It’s a beautiful sight, the man with his sleeves rolled up slightly. Not enough to slow the full length of his forearms, but enough to make Eggsy’s mouth water. 

It’s been 2 weeks, almost, since the incident with Dean. Eggsy misses his mum, yes, but he can’t go back to the estates, and he sure as hell doesn’t want his mum to be followed here if she visits. He texts her, checks up on her, has Daisy talk to her on the phone.

He wakes up to Harry making breakfast, goes to work with him, has lunch with him most days, and is driven home with him. Some days he’ll sit in his office, some days with Daisy, who makes funny faces as she watches the streets. It’s near perfect, a glimpse into another lifetime. He isn’t truly expecting it when Dean is caught by the feds. It comes as a shock to his mum too, who calls him near immediately. He answers in record time, watching Daisy and Harry dancing. He feels his breath stutter when he hears about Dean. His one wish for so many years is finally true, they’re free. Dean will never get out, she says, never. 

Eggsy has half the mind to ask Harry if he can dig into what happened, because Dean has never been caught before, always too sneaky. But he also is never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He panics for a second after that, because his mum can’t just stay in the flat. Not now, not with Dean gone. She says she is okay, but going back into that part of the block? He’ll be found by one of Dean’s lackies for sure. They say their goodbyes, Eggsy promising everything is gonna change now.

Harry is still dancing, and Daisy is calling him over now with an excited, “Eggy! Dance wif ‘Arry an’ me.” So he stops thinking about Dean and goes to dance with the pair, Dais giggling when Harry turns the both of them while he holds her. It makes him laugh too, feeling like a Disney princess at some ball. 

Soon after, Harry says he’ll make dinner, Eggsy distracted enough by his forearms to completely miss what he said he’ll make. It’s always good, Harry is aces at making food, just not consistent with how often he makes it. His job is demanding, and some days he doesn’t have enough time. 

Eggsy smiles at him and nods, and goes to the sitting room and colors with Daisy. He had bought her a little book earlier with different princesses. It’s nice, and Daisy, without fail, never colors anything in the lines. Sometimes she’ll do her own drawings. She’s drew Harry and him, her standing to the right of Harry, all of them holding hands. He always keeps these drawings, even if they look absolutely horrid, barely people. 

The day winds down, and they eat dinner. They all gather on the couch to watch the telly, some Disney film that’s new out. Eggsy can’t remember it’s name but he is sure it’s about some girl and the ocean, or maybe a destiny quest, probably both. It’s nice, and he likes it. Daisy is settled onto Harry’s lap, intently watching the film,, while desperately trying to stay awake. It’s adorable, and by the end she is asleep. 

He smiles and asks Harry, who has turned the channel to some other film, if he’d like to put her to bed. Harry looks over at him and tells him that he can put her to bed tonight, if he’d like. Eggsy smiles and nods, gestures his hands to the stairs. Harry smiles down at him as he stands up, and disappears to the guest room. 

Eggsy still sits in front of the telly, not watching whatever cheesy romance is surely playing out on screen. Instead he is thinking about what he’s gonna do. He can’t stay here forever, despite how he wishes to. It’s comfortable here, in a way he hasn’t felt since his father was alive. He’s safe, and now that Dean’s gone, his family’s soon to be safe forever. He’ll move them into a nice flat in a nice neighbourhood. His mum can date someone new, better for her. He can finally leave the house without worrying about their safety, or his own for that matter. 

He smiles at the thought of Dean rotting away in prison, hopefully with his whole gang. He hopefully will be able to get his mum to press charges too, for the abuse. Hopefully. The fucker deserved the added time to his sentence. Harry reappears soon enough, nodding when he asks if it went smoothly. Daisy has a habit of waking up when they try to put her to bed when she’s already asleep. 

The older man sits back on the couch, legs touching as Eggsy pulls his feet onto the couch, tucking them under himself. 

“Dean got arrested today.” Harry looks over at him, face carefully blank. 

“How is your mother taking it?” he asks, and Eggsy isn’t sure what he wants to say to that. Because his mum is shocked, yeah, but angry? He doesn’t know. 

“Good. ‘m tryna convince ‘er to press charges.” Harry nods solemnly, seemingly thinking this over. He opens his mouth and closes it, wanting to say something. 

“I can be her lawyer if she truly decides to. Pro bono.”

Eggsy thinks it over, they obviously don’t have the money for some fancy lawyer, or any lawyer at all for that matter, but he can’t possibly accept that. Harry had already done so much for him, for his family. Harry seems to predict his protests, cutting him off by saying, “Eggsy, I want to help. Let me do this.” 

Eggsy nods, fearing if he speaks that his voice will break. No one in his life after his da had died ever cared enough to go to such great lengths. He had a teacher when he was in grade school that had been kind to him, but it had stopped after a while. 

Eggsy waits a while, so his voice doesn’t break. Harry is still watching whatever is on the telly, still the same romance story as before. He thinks it might have multiple couples, Christmas happening around them all. Harry seems to enjoy it, though. 

“M thinkin’ of gettin’ a flat. I have some savings. I was wonderin’ if you’d help me, I dunno nothin’ about the process.” 

Harry looks over at him, and hesitates. Opening his mouth multiple times and closing it. “Of course, Eggsy. I’m assuming it’s for your mother, Daisy, and you?” 

Eggsy nods. Harry smiles. “It will take a while, Eggsy. Is your mother going to stay in the councils while we look?” Eggsy hadn’t really thought of that though, and seems to think about it. 

“If she has nowhere else to stay, she is welcome here, Eggsy. Whatever is needed.” Eggsy plans to protests again, but Harry looks at him, and it shuts him up. He nods, and tells the older man that he’ll ring her and ask later. 

They watch the whole movie, Eggsy barely focusing because of the heat from Harry’s body. It’s all a little distracting, if he’s honest with himself. He’s sure he hasn’t been able to fully think of anything without Harry popping up in his head since he’s met him. 

When he gets to the guest room, he’s practically dead weight, tired from the day. It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep, and he dreams of butterflies and a life with Harry. 

\---

When he calls his mum and asks her if she’d be okay with staying with Harry while he finds them an apartment, he doesn’t really expect her to say yes so fast. He tells her that he also has some things to talk about, but she agrees to that too. After years of living with Dean, and now the finality of him being gone, he assumes she’s just ready to be free. 

He can’t go there, Dean’s gang still hanging about the estates, so he settles for asking his mum to pack up all of their clothes. She spends the day of it, finishing sometimes that night, Harry sends Andy to pick her up, offering money to help her move the clothes. Andy agrees happily. 

His mum arrives a little later, night already falling. She knocks on the door lightly, and when Eggsy opens it Daisy screams ‘mum’ and pounces on her. His mum spins her arounds, whispering ‘my flower’. It’s a scene, and Andy is on the street still, so Eggsy decides to go help him with the few boxes that make up their total possessions. It’s not much, if he’s honest. 

Harry greets Michelle at the door, introducing himself kindly and going to help Eggsy with the few boxes. When the boxes are all moved into the guest room, Harry goes to make dinner while his mum and him, along with Daisy, go to talk at the table. 

“That’s ‘Arry, then? He’s a bit posh, yeah? He’s your friend, then?”

Eggsy smiles and nods, because Harry is rather a posh bloke. A gentleman of the best caliber, generous and kind to everything. Despite how he wants them to be something more than friends, he agrees to that part too. 

“He’s real good with Dais, mum. Gonna help me with finding a flat for us. He’s a lawyer, too. Some big company in the city.” His mum seems unsurprised by this, nodding solemnly with a squirmy Daisy in her lap. He wants to bring up the opportunity of pressing charges against Dean, of getting back at the fucker with Harry’s help, but he isn’t sure how. He decides, sitting in front of his mum, who looks more calm than she’s been in years, that it’ll just be better to ask her outright, so he does. 

“He said he’d help if you wanna press charges, mum. Won’t even charge.” She looks over at him, seemingly surprised before she makes move to protest. But Eggsy cuts her off, “No strings attached. He just wants to see justice done, mum. He wants to do this for you.” 

She nods, eyes brimming with tears that she won’t shed until later. The conversation moves on. Everything from Daisy’s latest accomplishment (she had gotten the near full alphabet down), to how Roxy had found her soulmate. 

His mum smiles and nods with him, Daisy squirmining and occasionally adding nonsensical things to the conversation. At one point she stops them both to tell them how, “Im’a princess, mum! ‘Arry said he’s a knight! He can marry Eggy cause he’s a prince!” 

His mum looks over at him when she said that, smirking at the blush that spreads across Eggsy’s face and ears. It’s near funny, and Daisy looks so enthusiastic about the prospect of her brother marrying Harry. She looks down at Daisy, who is still smiling widely, and says, “That’s good Dais. Then Harry can be a prince too, with you and Eggsy.” Daisy just smiles wider at that, taking Michelle’s hair and running her fingers through it. 

The conversation moves on again, on to other things. The playdate for Dais, too, with Tilly and her mum Venice. Michelle smiles, Daisy not having many kids her age to play with in the estates. Especially not with Dean around. 

\---

Dinner goes well, Eggsy thinks. His mum, while hesitant at first about Harry, seems to like him after a while. He’s kind to her, polite like the gentleman he is. Daisy loves him, she had noticed automatically, the small girl constantly talking to him about everything from a certain game she wants to play with him (to which he always says yes), to her new mate Tilly. It’s adorable, and Eggsy watches on in fascination at the way Harry interacts with his family. 

Michelle does like Harry, admittedly. His love for Daisy and Eggsy evident in different ways, and she decides very quickly that the man is deserving should the two ever get their shite together. It’s not hard to notice that Harry obviously is Eggsy’s soulmate. She can see her and Lee in them, the looks and touches. The way Harry’s eyes soften when he looks at her son even if he doesn’t outright smile. 

She offers her help when Harry says he will wash the dishes, and while the man protests, he allows her when she looks at him with a ‘no-nonsense’ look. Eggsy, who covertly hides his laughter behind his hand, says he’ll occupy Daisy till they’re done. Daisy just smiles at Harry and her, and walks over to the telly, where her coloring materials lay on the floor. 

Michelle watches on lovingly as her children laugh and color, Eggsy tickling Daisy when she draws him as an actual egg (to which she smiles and laughs). Harry, when she looks over, is smiling too, softly looking at Eggsy like Lee used to. The older man has his sleeves rolled up, his hand s dutifully scrubbing the plates. Michelle dries them, and avoids looking at the spot Eggsy’s Mark is at for the first five minutes before giving in. 

She looks quickly, she knows that Eggsy’s Mark is rather unique. She isn’t surprised when she finds that Harry has the same one on his own forearm. The gold butterflies flying up his arm, the black circle. She continues to dry the dishes, and thinks about her life. Thinks about going to rehab, maybe. Or maybe getting that job she always wanted. She’ll do something, but only after she sees Dean locked up. After she sees that these two get together. 

When they’re done with the dishes, everything put neatly back in place, Harry rolls his sleeves down before going to where Daisy and Eggsy are. Dais, who sees Harry and immediately calls his name, and Eggsy who smiles at the older man before standing up. 

Daisy, already off track from how she wanted to play a game, looks at Michelle and tells her that, “‘Arry is the bestest dancer!” Michelle smiles, and looks up at the seemingly sheepish older man, who shrugs slightly before Daisy tugs his hand and insists he put on music. Eggsy, who is watching on and smiling, immediately puts on some love ballad from his phone and gestures sweepingly to Harry, who rolls his eyes before picking Daisy up and spinning her around the room. Michelle smiles, and tries not to let Eggsy know that she sees him taking photos. 

They watch a single film, this time around Daisy picks  _ Dinosaur,  _ which she has a few toys from that Harry bought her a few days ago when she had watched the movie 3 times in a day. She brings them out, and sits them across her lap where she sits on Harry. Harry is beside him, occasionally looking at the older man when Harry’s not doing the same. Michelle had opted to sit in the one person seat, and spends only a small amount of time watching the movie, instead focusing on her kids and this gentleman bloke who had swooped into their lives. 

When the film is done, and Daisy is asleep on Harry’s lap, the older man says he’ll put her upstairs as to not wake her up. She nods, and Harry disappears upstairs. Eggsy tells her that she’ll be sleeping in the guest room, and tells her where it is. She nods along, and when it’s quiet again she looks over at her son. 

“So, Harry Hart, huh? Does he have a Mark?” 

At the questioning from her, Eggsy looks over at her after checking to see if he can hear Harry. “Yeah, he does,” he says quietly, “dunno who it is though. Never seen his Mark.”

Michelle is confused, she hadn’t even been here a day and she had already seen it. She quickly puts together the fact that Eggsy is afraid it’s not gonna be his Mark if he looks. She has the instinct to shake some sense into him, because the looks Harry sends his way are beyond obvious, and vice versa. 

She instead nods, and looks back at the telly, where some new movie she can’t remember the name of is playing. Her son doesn’t even know who his soulmate is. The mutual feelings are rather obvious, but he thinks that Harry couldn’t possibly be  _ his  _ soulmate. She again has the urge to shake some sense into her son, tell him that he is worth it, but she refrains.

When Harry emerges from upstairs, she excuses herself, giving some excuse about being exhausted. When she walks past Eggsy, who Harry had once again sat by despite the open seat, she kisses him on the forehead and whispers, “You should find out who it is.”

Eggsy looks up at her, obviously confused, before she walks off. Daisy is asleep, bundled in with her new favorite toy, a stuffed whale. She lays down next to her, kisses her forehead, and drifts off to sleep. She dreams of nothing at all. 

\---

Eggsy sits next to Harry in front of the telly and tries to figure out what his mum had meant. He’s absolutely sure she meant about Harry’s Mark, but  _ why?  _ It couldn’t be him, so why the hell would he break his own heart? It didn’t really make sense, and he couldn’t bring up the conversation with Harry naturally. So instead he stared at the telly and tried to think of what the fuck he was gonna do. Of course he wants to stay here, Harry’s house is warm and safe, a  _ home.  _ Different even from when Lee had been alive. 

Harry was always different. 

“So ‘m guessin’ that ‘m sleepin’ on the couch?” 

Harry looks over at him and rolls his eyes affectionately, “I can bring you a blanket and pillow. It’s a comfortable couch, I assure you. Maybe not as good on your back as a bed, but you’re young. You can take it.” 

At that, Eggsy looks at the older man and rolls his own eyes. Usually on a Friday night like this, Eggsy would be out with Roxy to avoid Dean, and to hang with his best mate. But tonight he wants to be here, with Harry, in front of his telly watching some romance film. He mentally slaps himself when he thinks of what it would be like to sit in Harry’s lap, kiss him like they are on the telly. But he can’t, because Harry’s not  _ his.  _

Harry’s lips twitch, like he’s trying not to smile, and Eggsy nudges him with his foot and laughs. 

They talk for some amount of time, the romance film switching to some action one. Eggsy yawns, and Harry looks at him with a raised eyebrow. “I am not tired, Mr. Hart.” 

Harry shakes his head and tells him that tomorrow is Daisy’s play date with Tilly. Eggsy had nearly forgotten, if he was honest. He decides to tell his mum, telling Harry that she needs some time with her. 

“Well we can grab dinner, then,” Harry says, “while your mother takes her.”

Eggsy blushes but nods.  _ Harry Hart  _ wants to have dinner with him. Not takeout, and it’s different when it’s in public. He tells himself that it’s  _ not  _ a date, but his brain keeps whispering that maybe Harry feels the same. Maybe, maybe,  _ maybe.  _

Eggsy, when Harry says goodnight and retreats upstairs, curls up on the couch and dreams, like most nights since he met Harry, of butterflies. The ones on the walls, some days, and other days of the gold ones that fly up his arm. 


	7. Lightning Crackles in the Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Before he sleeps, he thinks of the tingling of his Mark, looking at it in the darkness of the living room. He wonders if Harry felt the same thing, maybe the universe trying to tell them to stop. He sneers at it, thinks about what the fuck his soulmate is gonna think of him being in love with Harry Hart."
> 
> (Eggsy and Harry go on their not-date. Things don't go as planned.)

On Saturday, Daisy gets up first in the house, jumping on the bed and poking Michelle’s face until she wakes up too. The clock reads 09:07, and Michelle briefly wonders if maybe she can coax Daisy back to sleep. Instead she takes a shower and bathes Daisy, who seems rather excited for the day. Her toothbrush is in a box she put by the sink, and she brushes both of their teeth. By the time they’re done, Harry is in the kitchen making breakfast. Eggsy, still asleep, is snoring softly on the couch, occasionally mumbling words that sound suspiciously like the older man’s name. At points when Harry can step away from the stove, he’ll look briefly at Eggsy, almost with reverence

She would wake him up, but she wants to see Harry do it. Plus Daisy, bouncing with excitement, has to be occupied before she bounces off the walls. Harry finishes breakfast, a rather impressive display, and goes over to where Eggsy sleeps. The older man carefully shakes Eggsy awake, talking softly. Eggsy looks confusedly at the older man, mumbling his name and rubbing his eyes before Harry tells him the food is ready. Eggsy nods and smiles brightly, saying he’ll be right there. 

As they eat, Eggsy tells his mum of the play date that Daisy has later, and how he and Harry will be getting dinner while it happens. She nods and sends whatever hope she can up to the gods that they finally find out that they share a Mark. 

It only took Lee and herself 3 days, since the Mark had come automatically for them.  _ Instant _ , Lee had said when they found out,  _ I knew it was you since the beginning.  _

She smiles as she feeds Daisy, who likes eggs nearly as much as Eggsy had when he had been a tot. It’s funny, their similarities. She tells them that she’ll be going out later, with Daisy, to the park and then a few businesses she wants to apply to. 

The rest of breakfast is happy, everyone talking and laughing, and Daisy occasionally demanding for Harry to feed her because, “‘arry’s my knight, mum!”

\---

Harry, who had called Venice and told her that Michelle (Daisy’s actual mother) was going to be with her, was currently getting ready for dinner. He and Eggsy, while Michelle had took Daisy out with her, had ordered takeout. He had no idea where he wanted to take Eggsy. He didn’t want to force the younger man into a date, so nowhere too fancy. But he also wanted to spend time with the boy somewhere quiet. He decides to go to a restaurant that James and Alastair frequent as a sort of date-night venue. 

He dressed down for the occasion, going with slacks and a button-up only with wool coat for the occasion. The place wasn’t completely fancy by any means, but it has a nice atmosphere and is quiet. He had been there many times, along with the couple and Merlin. 

Eggsy, in the guestroom where his clothes now hung, was honestly stressed. He thought about asking Harry where they were going, because he had no idea what to wear. He looks at himself in the mirror on the closet door, still in his pants and socks. He laughs, quietly. He is standing in Harry Hart’s house, a place he considers to be  _ home  _ by now, stressing out about a (probably) non-date.  _ What a mess,  _ he thinks to himself, shaking his head. 

He decides on something casual. A black button-down Polo, slacks, and his work Oxford’s. It’s a rather mixed outfit, he thinks, but it works. Not too casual, not too posh. He decides on a coat he had gotten from Harry when they had went shopping, a wool one that was warm and thick. 

His hair, unruly when it wants to be, is uncontrollable today. He tries his best to somewhat style it, and it’s halfway decent when he decides it is the best he’ll get it. When he gets downstairs, Harry is waiting on him, talking to Merlin on the phone. A hushed conversation that he hears Roxy’s name in. Harry is rolling his eyes fondly along, and when he hears Eggsy, he quickly says his goodbyes and focuses on the younger man. 

“Ah, Eggsy. You look… stunning,” Harry tells him, giving him a once-over. Eggsy blushes but mumbles a quick, “you too, Harry” back. 

Harry’s gaze is intense, Eggsy thinks as he gets his coat on. Leveled and analyzing, something deeper in his eyes. Eggsy hopes it is the same heat he feels, but he can’t be sure and refuses to assume. He smiles at the older man, being led out of the house to where Andy waits. 

He still has no idea where they’re going, but Harry isn’t wearing a suit and so he assumes nowhere too posh. The older man, sitting primly beside him with their knees touching, wears a coat similar to Eggsy’s own, though more tailored. Slacks, a button-up (both tailored to the man himself), and his own Oxfords. His hands, clasped on his lap, are strong looking. Bigger than Eggsy’s own, probably stronger with how much Harry works out. 

Which is something Eggsy had not expected at the beginning of meeting Harry. He was right fit, of course, but the working out was a surprise. The bloke had so much hidden strength just under those tailored suits that it made Eggsy wish he would put it to good use on him. Lifting him, holding him down.  _ Anything,  _ really. He’d be thankful for anything.

The conversation is easy as they drive through the streets of London. Eggsy mentions how his mum definitely likes him a lot. Harry looks doubtfully at him, and Eggsy argues that it’s true. They move on, talk about Merlin, who Harry accidentally mentions had met his soulmate. 

“Roxy, right? We’re talkin’ about the same Merlin here? Distant, a mother hen? Dunno how Roxy finds that attractive. He’s the guv’nor, though.” Harry looks at him a second before laughing, tilting his head back slightly. 

“Well, Eggsy, what do you find attractive if not distant, mother hens?”

Harry looks over at him as he thinks about it. “Admittedly, Merlin is around the right age. But I think my type is more gentleman hero.”

“Have you ever met a gentleman hero, Eggsy? It sounds like you’re describing Bond.” 

“I know one, and who’s to say Bond totally ain’t my type,” Eggsy says jokingly, and Harry looks over at him with some unidentified emotion before he smiles and laughs. The conversation moves on, and Eggsy thinks back to when his mum said he should look at Harry’s Mark. He doesn’t know where it is, Harry always had his arms covered. So his best guess was there, but he wasn’t sure. 

The restaurant they arrive at is nice, not proper posh. But it’s nice, simple. He likes it already. Harry is recognized by the staff, a bird in a black and white uniform named ‘Gabbie’ leading them to their table while talking to Harry about Eggsy. 

“He’s new, Mr. Hart. What’s his name, then?”

“Eggsy. I met him some time ago now.”

When they reach a table, near a window with a view, Harry pulls out his chair and gestures. Eggsy blushes, but sits down. Gabbie smiles at the older man and introduces herself to Eggsy before whispering something to Harry that Eggsy can’t quite make out as she walks off from their table, leaving a near blushing Harry in her wake. He wishes he could have heard whatever had rumpled Harry that much. 

Harry orders for him, like always. He always enjoys that, and by now Harry knows what he likes. Like he had always knew what he liked. The older man had never gotten something that Eggsy didn’t like. It was… something, Eggsy thinks to himself, smiling. 

The conversation swivels between many things. From Roxy and Merlin, work, a new case, Michelle and Daisy, even sports at one point. Harry had ordered them some type of champagne that he can’t pronounce, it sounds fancy. He had mentioned that he had never had it, and Harry, surprised, had immediately insisted that he be brought the best bottle available. 

Gabbie is nice, stopping by for conversation ever once and a while. She keeps looking expectantly at Harry, who subtly shakes his head at every look he gets. It makes Eggsy confused but he drinks his champagne and eats something he can’t pronounce that sounds vaguely French. It’s delicious, and he stares at Harry’s mouth every chance he gets. 

He’s near drunk, admittedly, by the time desert rolls around. Harry orders them some sort of cake he can’t remember the name of after he receives a shrug from Eggsy when he asks what he would like. They share it, and Eggsy moans when he tastes it. It’s some chocolate thing, and Harry’s eyes darken slightly at the sound, Eggsy blushing and smiling sheepishly. He takes a sip of the champagne. 

“Y’know, ‘arry, I like champagne a lot. It’s nice. Bubbly. We should go here more. Like it.”

Harry is slightly tipsy as well, Eggsy notices, smiles at him and nods. “If you would like to, we can.” 

Harry ends up paying, and Gabbie tells him, as they leave, “You should do it, Mr. Hart.” Harry nods slightly at this, and when Eggsy asks what she meant, he just redirects the conversation. 

The ride home is filled with a sort of tension that Eggsy can’t describe. Lightning crackling with every word they speak to try and avoid acknowledging it. They talk about Tilly and Daisy, mostly. The tension never dissipates, not even when they get back home. 

The lights are off, Michelle not arriving back yet with Daisy. The tension follows into the house, and Eggsy wishes he could say something, anything to get rid of it. But he doesn’t know what to say, and so he settles for taking off his jacket and shoes. 

He looks at Harry, who had took off his shoes and coat as well. They’re still standing in front of the door, and Harry looks at him as well. Eggsy doesn’t notice he’s gravitated towards Harry, feet nearly touching. 

Suddenly he’s kissing him, soft and gentle. His arm tingles, oddly enough, right where his Mark is, but he ignores that. Harry’s mouth tastes like champagne and chocolate. Harry kisses like expected, controlled and hungry. Harry’s hand cups his jaw, and Eggsy’s own hands find themselves at Harry’s shoulders. 

They’re interrupted by two voices near the door, obviously Michelle and Daisy. Harry steps back suddenly, as if burned, apologizing profusely. Eggsy feels himself sober, because  _ that just happened.  _ He kissed Harry. He kissed  _ Harry,  _ who has a  _ Mark.  _

Harry backs away, retreating upstairs quickly, as if afraid. His last words before he disappears are, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” 

Eggsy stands by the coat rack, stricken. Michelle and Daisy enter, waving goodbye to Tilly and her mum, who had driven them home. Daisy immediately runs to him, tugging at his sleeve. Eggsy wipes the look off his face as he runs his hand through his hair, and picks up his sister, spinning her around.

“Oh my days! How was Tilly, Dais?”

Daisy smiles excitedly, and talks about her friend. Eventually, his mum smiles and says that Venice and her had hit it off, hopefully they’re going over again soon. 

“How was dinner with Harry, Eggsy?’

He looks at his mum, smiling, “Perfect! Just a little tired. Think I’ll go to sleep a bit early tonight, if you don’t mind.”

Michelle looks at him oddly, knowing Eggsy is obviously a little drunk, but nods regardless. She takes Daisy from his hands, kissing his forehead. “Goodnight, luv. Put on some pajamas, though. Don’t wanna wrinkle your good clothes.” 

Eggsy nods, and goes upstairs to get changed while his mum brushes her and Daisy’s teeth. He dutifully avoids looking at Harry’s closed (and probably locked) door when he walks down the hall. 

Before he sleeps, he thinks of the tingling of his Mark, looking at it in the darkness of the living room. He wonders if Harry felt the same thing, maybe the universe trying to tell them to stop. He sneers at it, thinks about what the fuck his soulmate is gonna think of him being in love with Harry Hart. 

_ What the fuck did I do,  _ Eggsy thinks, not for the first time, as he looks at his Mark again in the dark. 

_ Tomorrow is gonna kick my arse _ , he thinks, drifting off to sleep near midnight, hours after returning home. 

\---

In his bedroom, Harry doesn’t sleep until past midnight. Eggsy consumes his every thought, seemingly stuck there. He wants to apologize, Eggsy has a soulmate somewhere who is surely not him, he should have turned away from the advances. 

He remembers the face Eggsy has made before he had retreated up the stairs, sadness and rejection mixing on his face that he couldn’t quite hide. The boy had the most expressive face if one knew how to look for it. Harry wishes he could take it back, just to make that look go away. But his Mark had been almost vibrating, a sort of tension under his skin. Perhaps, he thinks, it is the fates trying to tell him that he doesn’t deserve Eggsy.    
  
Eggsy, who is kind, beautiful, and  _ young.  _ Probably with an equally young soulmate waiting on him, just as beautiful. 

As he falls asleep, the darkness outside all consuming, he knows tomorrow something will change, everything will change tomorrow. Everything has changed when it comes to Eggsy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to upload this like Saturday, I don't remember why I didn't but it just didn't happen. Hopefully my new schedule is coming in handy. Friday chapter 8 will be uploaded, I'm nearly finished now.  
> I changed up the chapter summaries to little quotes as well, the suspense is better about what is happening in them. 
> 
> My spring semester started as well, so hopefully that won't interfere with the schedule but if it does I am very sorry!


	8. Running Away from the Hart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He does feel guilty about it all. About the kiss, and about running. He hadn’t known what to do. Eggsy had looked at him like he was everything, and Harry couldn’t do that to him. He had a soulmate, hell, Eggsy had a soulmate. Harry was more than twice his age, and Eggsy deserved so much better than Harry could give him, would ever be able to give him."
> 
> (They don't talk about it at all, angst happens).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello folks! So this took 12 days to upload, I also accidentally wrote too much so now I have chapter 8 and 9 practically done (which is nice). So here is chapter 8, in my docs this was called "chapter 8 stb aka the chapter where nothing gets done lmao" which is pretty accurate for how this chapter goes.
> 
> This story is now beta'd thanks to BrisTime, who offered her serviced and is very appreciated considering I don't do good with reading over my own work (also credit to the chapter name is to her, it's a pun from Harry Hart, get it?). I'm working more, and school takes a lot of my time, but I'm gonna upload regularly after this. 
> 
> Sorry for the wait, the last chapter ended with an absolute angst ridden cliffhanger. Hope you enjoy!

Eggsy wakes up as the sun starts to shine for the first time in forever. He knows that Harry will wake up soon, despite the fact he doesn’t have work on Sundays, at somewhere near 8. When he checks his phone, sitting on the table near the couch he sleeps on, the time is only 30 minutes until 8. Roxy had texted him, since she wakes up early on Sundays to cook breakfast with Alastair and James, a tradition of sorts for their little family. She said one day that technically they didn’t raise her, and her parents were distant at best, but Uncle James and Alastair were always there.

He replies back quickly to her question of what happened at dinner with Harry. He briefly wonders if he should tell her about the kiss and consequential rejection before he decides he might as well. They don’t keep secrets.

She replies back near automatic. _Always the best mate, Rox is,_ he thinks as he reads her concerned text.

She tells him that maybe it’s not a rejection, but Eggsy says he rather not talk about it. Or maybe over drinks, that’ll help. The plan, they decide, is for tomorrow since they’re trading with another pair for the day who need the hours.

When he hears Harry’s door open quietly upstairs, Eggsy wonders if maybe he should pretend to be asleep. _Michelle and Dais aren’t awake yet,_ he thinks to himself quickly, _which means we’ll be alone._   
  
He makes up his mind quickly, laying down and closing his eyes. He rather not have any sort of conversation with Harry yet, especially since not only does he not know what to say but they’ll be _alone_ essentially.

He already knows that Harry will wait a while to make breakfast, instead making himself a cup of tea since he finds coffee to be too much in the mornings. He’ll wait at least half an hour. His mum, hopefully, will wake up soon. If not her, then Daisy, who never stayed asleep too late.

He’s grateful when not even 20 minutes later, his mum walks down the stairs, Daisy following behind her with her stuffed toy dinosaur. He makes sure to be discreet as he watches them enter the kitchen. Daisy comes back within a few minutes carrying a sippy cup of juice with a lid, which she sets down on the floor before promptly climbing on top of him.

“Up, Eggy! Up,” she orders, and Eggsy quickly picks her up, tickling her. She squeals, giggling as he spins around. His mum soon comes back from the kitchen carrying a cup of coffee and offers him a, “Good morning, luv” before sitting where he was just laying.

He considers going to get something to drink. but he still doesn’t know what he’ll say to Harry if he opens his mouth. He sits down, he’ll get dressed later and go for a jog, perhaps. Michelle said today she wanted to take Daisy to visit one of her friends that Eggsy can’t remember the name of. Which translates roughly to _‘I’m going to be alone with Harry, who I kissed and then he rejected me’._

Maybe he’ll just watch a film. If Harry wants to talk, he isn’t gonna back down. He’s no coward, he decides as Daisy sits on his lap drinking her juice. _I got this_ , he thinks.

\---

Breakfast, oddly enough, ends without any ordeal. Michelle may talk a bit more than she normally would to fill the silence, and Harry and Eggsy may not look directly at each other, but it’s fine. Or at least that’s what Eggsy tells himself, because it’s easier than anything else.

He doesn’t want to think about how he feels like he may fall apart at that instant. Doesn’t want to admit that it hurts him that Harry can’t even look him in the eyes, that Harry doesn’t want _him._

He spends time with Daisy instead, because she doesn’t understand the implications of love or what it means to have a soulmate yet. First they play a game that Eggsy can’t remember the name to, and then Daisy suggests drawing. She ends up drawing a picture of them all, and Eggsy stares at it for nearly 5 minutes. It reminds him of the picture of the broccoli family she had drew before they had stayed with Harry.

She’s improved, having been coloring more than she could at home. She’s in the middle wearing her crown, Michelle next to her, in something that may be a dress. He and Harry stand next to each other on her other side. Harry wearing something that is probably armor, he’s holding a sword, and Eggsy has a crown as well. He laughs at the way they’re holding hands, everyone is.

Daisy grabs it back to add crowns to Michelle and Harry, and Eggsy nearly asks her why Harry has a crown. But he refrains, nearly sure he doesn’t wanna hear the answer. Instead he draws his own picture of them all, including Roxy. He drew a ton when he was younger, up until he joined the Marines. He spent more time in school sketching than listening, which was okay because he picked up topics easy. It was relaxing, and he’s still pretty decent at it.

He draws himself with his Mark, figuring it’s better to not pretend it doesn’t exist. Mainly it just looks like a smudge on his arm, but he figures it’s good enough. He spends more time than necessary on Harry, which he tells himself it’s just because he needs to. No reason, he tells himself.

Roxy has her own Mark, and Harry is wearing a suit. Michelle is smiling and holding Daisy. It’s all nice, and he likes how it turns out in the end. He decides to keep both of them, maybe show Michelle when she is finished getting dressed.

His mum and Daisy were gonna leave soon, he knew. He remembered vaguely that she had said something about going out somewhere, but he can’t remember where or when they’re coming back.

He had gotten dressed too, a jumper and jeans. He couldn’t stay here with Harry alone, he knew that much. He doesn’t know where he’ll go yet. He thinks maybe he could just sit outside and read on his phone. It’s his best option right now.

Michelle comes downstairs soon enough, she looks happy. She tells Eggsy she’ll be back, and gathers up an already dressed Daisy, and her bag. He waves goodbye to them, and he immediately goes upstairs to put their drawings with the ones that hung up on his room in the estates, packed in his box.

Harry is sitting on the couch when he comes back downstairs, reading some book. He had changed from his robe into his own jumper, which was probably as soft as it looked, and trousers. Eggsy wishes that he could touch the man, run his fingers through his slightly curled hair, lay on his chest maybe. He shakes his head, remembers that it will never happen. He realizes that he’s still on the last step, staring at Harry, who by some miracle still hasn’t noticed him. He quickly moves to the door, and steps outside.

It’s slightly cold, the sun still high and giving off some warmth despite the chill in the air. He doesn’t know what he was planning to do out here still, so he sits on the steps, hoping that Daisy and Michelle return soon. Or soon enough, because he can’t go back in the house with Harry. He’s near sure that what he’ll say isn’t something he wants to. Some rushed love confession, or a breakdown that is just waiting to happen if he’s with the older man.

He pulls his phone out of his phone pocket and pulls up his text thread with Roxy, hoping that maybe she can shed some sort of light on what to do. But then she realizes that she’s probably with Merlin, who she recently found out was her _soulmate_ after pining after the bloke for years and he decides she deserves the peace. The both of them do.

Instead he goes to the thread with Ryan, Jamal, and Roxy. he figures that’s the next best thing, if not Roxy alone. They always made him feel all the better about everything with their endless ribbing of each other.

The boys respond immediately, Rox taking a little longer. Eggsy finds himself smiling despite where he’s at. The conversation quickly turns to himself, though. All three of them virtually turning to him and asking him about his Mark. He had told them some time ago, then about Harry. Despite this, he hasn’t told anyone but Roxy about the kiss and so he avoids their questions easily, turning the conversation to Roxy instead, who gushes about Merlin.

Eggsy responds where needed, and laughs along with the various jokes in the chat. In spite of this, the only thing on his mind is still Harry. Harry, who kissed him back and then ran. Harry, who he is in love with. Harry, who doesn’t love him back. _Harry._

He’s nearly angry with himself for thinking about the older man even when Harry’s the one that ran. Eggsy would gladly give his soulmate up if he just had him. _Fuck soulmates,_ he thinks, _if I can’t have Harry._

He decides to start the search for a flat, and searches for one quickly on the web. It’s easier than thinking about the owner of the house he’s currently at. A distraction, if anything at all.

He quickly grows bored of it, though. He has no idea what he’s looking for, and he desperately wants Harry’s input on it all. He’ll do it later, maybe, closer to bed. It’s afternoon now, his mum hadn’t left until a little before noon. She had been gone some amount of hours by now, he thinks as he looks at the time, not remembering the exact time she had left to begin with. All he knows is it has been forever, and he wants to go into the warmth that always surrounds being near Harry but he can’t without his mum and Dais as a buffer. He wonders if she had took Daisy to the park like she said. Maybe he could go there instead.

_Fuck it,_ he thinks as he picks himself off the steps and enters the house. He pauses for a second, listening to see if Harry has moved from his place he was in earlier. He can’t hear anything, though. _Maybe I got lucky and he went upstairs,_ he thinks as he takes off his trainers.

_Of course_ , he thinks as he sees Harry looking at him oddly as he enters the room. His book is still open, glasses perched elegantly on his nose. He looks softer than he usually does, softer than when he’s wearing his various. Still just as lovely, though.

He doesn’t know quite what to do with the tension that crackles through the air as their gazes meet and so he smiles awkwardly at Harry. Harry tilts his head slightly, an emotion Eggsy can’t see passing across his features before it’s gone.

Eggsy exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding before he walks towards the kitchen. He can’t very well sit in the room with Harry, he thinks. Instead he makes gets something to eat, a biscuit of some sort that Harry loves. He quickly sticks his head into the room Harry is sitting to ask if he’d like some tea, the older man nodding and smiling.

He felt slightly guilty not offering him some, since it’s his tea and all. Eggsy knows how the older man likes his tea by now, of course, same as Harry knows how he takes his. It’s a domestic pleasure of living together for a while. He smiles at the kettle.

He replies to the handful of texts from the group chat before finishing up the tea, making Harry’s how he likes it before bringing it to the older man, who smiles up at him and thanks him. It feels almost domestic, if not for the incredible weight on his shoulders that is the whole “kiss Incident” (which he personally refers to it as). He smiles back a little slowly, and flees to the kitchen.

He isn’t quite sure what he’s gonna do now. He’s tired of not being in the house, but he also can’t just go sit in the room with Harry. He rolls up his sleeves as he makes his own tea, pouring enough sugar, which the first time Harry saw he had looked at Eggsy like he was a monster.

_“_ You know you’re ruining perfectly good tea,” the older man had said, “with all of that sugar.” Eggsy had just took a sip and grinned rather innocently.

He stands in the kitchen until he finishes his tea, and decides rather quickly that he’ll just listen to music in the sitting room with Harry. It makes the most sense, he can’t speak and he surely can’t listen if the older man tries to talk to him. He quickly runs up the stairs, completely ignoring Harry’s odd look, and quickly finds his headphones he had bought himself a few days ago.

They’re shitty and barely work since he accidentally dropped them in water a few days ago but Harry doesn’t need to know that. He walks downstairs, and sits on the couch that faces the telly near Harry. _Don’t wanna make him think ‘m avoiding him,_ he thinks.

He plugs them in just as Harry looks at him, curious but not speaking yet. Harry turns back to his book just as Eggsy goes to the group chat. There have been a few replies since he was in the kitchen, various jokes.

He doesn’t wanna explain the ordeal with Harry, and so he smiles and laughs at the various jokes. It’s easy to pretend to be okay with all of it. _Surely,_ he thinks, _better than talking to Harry about it._

\---

Harry wouldn’t admit it to anyone but he’s been on the same page of this damned book since he nearly picked it up. _It’s Eggsy,_ he thinks. It’s surely Eggsy. The younger man had been on his mind since he had woken up, probably even in his sleep. They haven’t actually spoken, and Eggsy seems to be avoiding him somewhat. It’s only fair, he thinks. He’s the one who _ran_.

The younger man is now reading something on his phone while listening to something, smiling and quietly laughing. His fingers twitch, his Mark tingling. He wants to hold Eggsy, which wouldn’t be so bad except he has a soulmate and so does Eggsy. He keeps rereading the various paragraphs, and nothing sticks. He’s losing his goddamn mind.

Eggsy smiles again, and it’s like he’s the actual sun, shining and bright. He wants to get closer, sit in the warmth that radiates from the younger man, but he’s burned his bridges it seems. Eggsy hasn’t even looked at him since that morning. He thinks maybe he should initiate a conversation, say something, explain himself, but he doesn’t know what he wants to say. _I’m sorry I kissed you back and then ran,_ or _I’m sorry, but you deserve more than me,_ or _You have a soulmate, young and beautiful, and you deserve to be happy with them._

But Eggsy seems happy enough with him, before this whole ordeal. He seemed content with Harry. Except maybe not. Harry was somewhere near twice his age, and he may keep in shape and all, but that didn’t change the fact that he was so much older and would always be so much older. They grew up so different, and despite the fact that Harry doesn’t care where Eggsy came from, he is sure that it will be a source of conflict in later years. So will their soulmates, because they have those, and he can’t just ignore that Eggsy deserves to be happy with his soulmate, whoever they are.

He reads the first sentence of the page again and closes the book, knowing that as long as Eggsy is on his mind he won’t complete any reading at all. He decides to make lunch instead, knowing that Eggsy hasn’t actually ate and neither has he, since breakfast at least.

It’s much easier to focus on cooking than the various thoughts that swarm his head in terms of Eggsy when he was reading. He makes Eggsy’s favorite food unthinkingly, and hopes the younger man will actually talk to him while they eat.

As he finishes and plates the food he goes to where Eggsy sits and taps his shoulder, gesturing back to the kitchen. Eggsy looks briefly confused before he seemingly remembers that it’s time for lunch and Harry nearly always cooks.

He smiles up at him and gets up, taking off his headphones. He sets them and his phone on the table near the chair he was sitting on.

“We haven’t ate yet, so I cooked up lunch. It’s your favorite,” he tells Eggsy, a little awkwardly. The tension has somehow thicker, like at any point it might snap, like a rubber band. Eggsy smiles as he sits down and starts to eat, thanking Harry.

“It’s truly no problem for you, I assure you.”

Harry does this a lot, the boy never really seems to understand that Harry _enjoys_ doing small things for him, that he _cares._ He isn’t sure Eggsy has ever had anyone that has just took care of him because he deserved it. Harry plans to change the notion that Eggsy isn’t worth that.

The meal goes on in relative silence, Eggsy smiling slightly at his plate, it is his favorite food of course. Harry wants to say something, anything, to break the silence. But he doesn’t know _what._ He feels absolutely horrible about the whole situation.

_Guilty,_ his brain supplies, _you feel guilty about kissing him back._ He can’t argue with it, either. He does feel guilty about it all. About the kiss, and about running. He hadn’t known what to do. Eggsy had looked at him like he was everything, and Harry couldn’t do that to him. He had a soulmate, hell, _Eggsy_ had a soulmate. Harry was more than twice his age, and Eggsy deserved so much better than Harry could give him, would ever be able to give him.

He doesn’t realize that Eggsy is talking to him until the younger man nudges him with his hand.

“I’m terribly sorry, Eggsy, what did you say?” Eggsy looks at him slightly odd, and opens his mouth before closing it again. He seems to think better of asking why, probably due to the fact it will lead to _the_ conversation.

“Just that I really appreciate you cooking for me. It’s amazing, as always.” He smiles at the younger man and says that he wanted to, no need to thank him.

Conversation flows a bit more easily after that, the conversation clearly steered away from anything too heavy. Always light topics. Daisy, or work, or some other various thing that won’t lead to _the_ conversation.

They finish at the same time, both offering to do the dishes at the same time.

“You cooked, bruv. I should do them,” Eggsy argues, and Harry shakes his head before agreeing to just rinse and put them up and let Eggsy wash them. Eggsy briefly looks like he wants to argue before he nods his head.

Eggsy rolls up his sleeves, motioning for Harry to place the dishes into the sink. Harry decides right then that he’ll just wait until Eggsy is done to rinse the dishes. He’s rather afraid that maybe he’ll see a Mark covering his arm, and he’s even more afraid that it will make the fact that they’ll never be soulmates more real.

He smiles and places the dishes into the sink, moving to stand a little to the left of where Eggsy is. Eggsy hums as he starts washing to dishes, and Harry feels his chest expand with adoration for him. Eggsy is like the sun, bright and it makes his house warmer, makes everything warmer. For so long his home had been quiet, and then Eggsy and his family had moved in, and everything had instantly gotten so much brighter.

They talk about nothing in particular, little things, easy things. Easier than the fact that Harry is undeniably in love with Eggsy, despite both of them having soulmates, at least.

When it’s quiet, Eggsy starts humming the tune to some Frank Sinatra song that Harry forgot the name to, and before he can finish he’ll interrupt himself with another song by Elton John. It’s slightly amusing, and endearing, how Eggsy can never finish a tune.

Before long, Eggsy is stepping back and rolling up his sleeves, moving to the side of Harry where he can’t see his Mark as Harry rolls up his sleeves to rinse and put away the various dishes.

Eggsy smiles at him as Harry picks up the tune that Eggsy had left at, laughing when he starts actually singing instead of humming. He probably wasn’t as great as Eggsy at carrying a tune, but his voice had a nice timbre, and it made Eggsy smile.

The conversation comes to an end as the dishes are all places in their correct spaces, and Eggsy briefly looks panicked for some reason Harry can’t figure out. He rolls down his sleeves, careful to avoid any chance of Eggsy seeing his arms.

Eggsy briefly looks as if he wants to say something, but closes his mouth before giving a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes and walking away, murmuring something about having to reply to a text he has.

Harry stands alone in the kitchen, a void where Eggsy had left. There is a quiet tick of a clock somewhere in the house, and he looks down at the place where his Mark lays on his skin. He shakes all thoughts of it off in favor of starting a case for Michelle, which is far easier than figuring out what he wants to do about the situation with Eggsy.

He rolls down his sleeves, and goes to grab the paperwork needed for Michelle’s case from his office, looking around at the various newspapers that hang on the walls. He thinks about what they represent, something that happened that he thinks of as good.

The case where he put an abusive man in jail is represented by some paper titled _Wipe Out._ A case where he represented a woman who divorced her husband because of him being verbally hurtful is represented by _Toe Job to No Job._ He never takes cases that he doesn’t believe in.

He looks at his walls full of papers, and he thinks of Eggsy. He thinks of what would have happened if he had just said yes, kissed him and let himself be kissed. He steps out of his office and stops thinking about anything at all except for Michelle and putting Dean Baker in jail.

  



	9. He Outshines the Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Soft and light, butterflies fluttering around them, sunlight hitting their profiles. It’s almost like watching one of those films he loves so much, but in this dream he doesn’t run away. In the dream he smiles and dives deeper. In the dream he and Eggsy are in love, and everything is better." 
> 
> (Eggsy and Harry continue to tiptoe around each other).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello folks, can you believe I uploaded twice this week? It's only because 1) Bristi is very quick with the revisions and 2) I had this chapter done with chapter 8. 
> 
> In conclusion, I have an actual schedule. Either every Saturday/Thursday or every Thursday depending on when I get done and how many chapters I get done in a row (I write faster, and the story is heading somewhere I actually didn't plan but love much more than the original story line. 
> 
> Anyways here is the new chapter! Next Tuesday perhaps I will upload or maybe not we'll see I have 2 pages of chapter 10 so far.

The house is silent. Eggsy looks over at Harry, who is reclining in his chair working on something with the same intensity he always has. He wants to ask what he’s thinking about, to have Harry explain to him what he’s doing in that sweet voice of his he gets when he’s interested in his work. But he won’t, because the tension is still there, still thick. Instead Eggsy watches Harry, and settles for the silence that surrounds them. It’s easier. 

Daisy is the first person he hears, even before his mum, and then the door opens and suddenly Dais is running to him, laughing with a wide grin. He first notices that she is holding a deer plushie, and then that Harry is looking at their interaction and smiling.

“Oh, my days! What is that there, flowa?” Daisy smiles up at him as he asks, promptly shoving the toy into his face before excitedly yelling, “ ‘s a deer, Eggy!”

She then runs over to Harry, who is watching in faint amusement with one eyebrow arched, and shoves the toy into his face next. 

“What is the deer’s name, Princess Daisy?” 

She smiles widely before raising the toy up, looking between himself, Harry, and then Michelle, before saying, “T-Rex.” He laughs, and asks her how she came up with the name. She giggles and tells him that it’s a cool name. Harry’s lips are twitching, like he’s trying not to laugh, and his mum places her hand over her face before exhaling dramatically. 

“It’s the best name, Dais. Fits ‘im real well, I think.” 

Harry tells her the same when she looks at him, and Michelle beckons Daisy over, telling her that she needs to take off her shoes. 

Harry looks over at him and asks him if he’d like takeout tonight for dinner. 

“I don’t quite feel like cooking, and we both know you’re not the most talented chef.” 

He sticks his tongue out at the older man, but he can’t really argue since he doesn’t practice enough to get better and probably won’t until he gets a flat of his own. So he agrees to takeout, and tells Michelle when she comes back to the room, having taken off Daisy’s coat and shoes. 

Harry orders rather quickly, they all had agreed on a Greek shop from not too far away that did delivery since Harry knew the staff. 

Daisy is colouring, laying on her stomach in the middle of the room while Michelle takes a quick shower. He lays beside her, drawing Daisy once again with her crown. He briefly glances up at Harry, not knowing that he just missed Harry looking at him. 

He wants to talk to the older man, to clear the air of the tension that had appeared the night before. He wishes he had something to say,  _ anything _ to say. But instead, he just colours Daisy’s crown a bright yellow colour. He makes her laugh with funny faces when she looks at him, exaggerated expressions that make her face light up when he does them. 

Michelle returns quickly, and directly after there is a knock on the door. Harry gets up, bills in hand, and receives the food. Eggsy gets up to help him, their fingers briefly brushing against one another, as Harry passes a bag to him. 

Electricity crackles, and Eggsy tries to not think about it as he sets the bag on the table. Tries even harder to not think about the fact that the kiss still hasn’t came up all day, that he still doesn’t know what Harry wants. Even though he knows it’s not  _ him,  _ he just wants to know. Know where they stand now. Nothing feels right, he realizes. The steady routine that had settled over them had shifted, awkwardness and hesitancy in lieu of comfort in their interaction. He hated it. 

Michelle spends most of the time talking, switching between small topics and the various things she had done today. The park, the various shops she had went to in order to see which were hiring. She’s thinking of going into some retail job, she says as she feeds Daisy. It’s all very mundane, and while Eggsy attempts to focus, he can’t. He keeps looking at Harry, who is listening very intently towards what is being said, watching the way Harry smiles and nods encouragingly. He thinks about the kiss, the stinging of his Mark, the way he has always seemed to be waiting on Harry. He forlornly thinks that maybe he was never meant to get his happy ending, because since when in his life did anything end  _ good _ , or even  _ okay _ ? 

He eats in silence, not speaking a word to his mum or Harry, afraid of what will come out. Maybe,  _ I’m completely in love with you, despite my best efforts,  _ or  _ you aren’t mine. but I would gladly give everything up for you to be mine.  _ He smiles and laughs when appropriate and conveniently excuses himself in order to take a shower.

“You okay, luv?” his mum whispers in his ear as he leans down to kiss her cheek. He smiles and nods, giving a short wave to Harry and ruffling Daisy’s hair before disappearing upstairs. 

The shower, unsurprisingly, is not as refreshing as he hoped it would be. He stands under the spray and tries to collect his thoughts, but it doesn’t work. It’s getting a little late, now. The sun dipping below the skyline, and he wants to sleep. Sleep off the unresolved tension, and the lingering ache of rejection. Because, no matter what light he looked at it in, Harry rejected him. 

He almost wants to just pop over to Roxy’s, stay there for a while and try to clear his head. But he’d rather not bother her, especially now that she has Merlin. He can’t help the pang of sadness and envy that shoots through him. He’s so happy for them, yet he can’t stop himself from thinking that he wants that too. 

He shakes off the thoughts and gets ready for the night. When he comes back downstairs, the telly is on. It’s another Disney film that he can’t ever remember the name of. He almost walks directly back up the stairs upon seeing Harry with Daisy on his lap, braiding her hair. He didn’t even know Harry knew _how_ to braid hair _._ The combined effect this has when it’s his baby sis is something akin to a shock sent down his spine. He quietly mutters profanities to himself before trudging to the open space by Michelle, since Harry remained in the reclining chair. 

After the movie ends, Michelle takes Daisy up the stairs to wash them both. Eggsy nearly wants to offer to wash Daisy instead, but his mum has to wash too so it’s no use. Instead he watches the show that Harry had flipped to and avoids looking at the older man. It takes a while for them to return, but they eventually do.

Daisy comes back down, and yet another Disney film plays. She climbs onto Harry’s lap, the older man smiling at her. She eventually falls asleep, curled up on Harry’s chest and lap. Harry smiles down at her, soft-looking, and Eggsy looks away from the scene, still incredibly afraid of what he will say if he continues to look at them. Eggsy offers to put her to bed, and Michelle smiles at him. 

When he leans down to take Daisy, still sprawled across Harry’s lap, he nearly wants to call it off, tell him that he can put her to bed instead. Because Harry is there, smiling up at him and he almost wants to lean in again. Taste how his smile looks, see if he’ll kiss back once again. Instead he mentally gathers himself and then picks Daisy up, hands against Harry’s body, before he disappears up the stairs. 

Eggsy, admittedly, avoids going back by spending more time than necessary with putting Daisy to bed. He stands in the room, looking at her snoring form on the guest bed. He wants to crawl into the bed with her, just to avoid going back down there when he knows his mum will go to bed soon as well. 

He sighs and makes the trek down the stairs again. The movie playing now is some older Bond film that both Eggsy and Harry both love. Somewhere between the end of the conflict and the part where the hero gets the girl, Michelle says she is exhausted. 

“You sure you okay?” she whispers to him as she leans down to give him a hug. He nods and smiles up at her; “Okay, Eggsy. Night, luv.” 

He doesn’t reply verbally, choosing to smile as she disappears up the stairs. He almost wants to go after her, to ask if he can sleep with them in the bed like he did when he was little. But he refrains, focusing his attention back on the telly. 

There is still a noticeable silence, he finds. When they watched films before, there was always commentary. “That’s just fake,” Eggsy would say, “no way she loves him after that!” Harry would always roll his eyes at this, but looked so fondly amused at him, eyebrow arched and a twitch to his lips, like he’s trying not to laugh. 

Now there is only the sound of various explosions on screen, gunshots and screaming. He also finds that he can’t seem to pay attention to the movie, instead focusing on the way Harry watches the events on the telly. 

He looks breathtaking, if he’s being honest. Regal, elegant, and some sort of hidden strength under his warm looking clothing. Eggsy wishes he could see exactly what Harry looks like when he loses control. Wonders if he is as calm and poised as he is now always.  _ What would it take for him to lose control,  _ Eggsy thinks. He shakes his head and tries to refocus. 

But he can’t, once again. He wonders if it will always be like this, his attention always being pulled towards the older man like a flower reaching for the sun. He wonders if Harry is the sun in his life, if that metaphor was even accurate. But Harry seems like so much more to him. Harry is  _ everything.  _

Which is a little scary to think, if he’s being honest with that as well. Because Harry is the first person he has ever been in love with. That fact was true, he is undeniably  _ in love _ . Harry is one of the first people who cares just because they truly  _ care  _ and not because they’ll get something out of it. Harry is a rock in a storm, or some other equally cheesy romantic metaphor. 

_ Ironic,  _ he thinks,  _ considering the facts of where we are.  _

He wonders how they ended up here. Tension reigning the space between them, silence pushing. He knows, technically, that he did it. He initiated the kiss, but Harry  _ kissed back.  _ He kissed back and then he left. He just left him there. 

Eggsy thinks that maybe Harry was just tipsy, going along with whatever was happening. But he was even more pissed than Harry was, and he wanted it. He wanted to taste the desert and champagne mixed on Harry’s lips and tongue. He craved to be Harry’s at every moment of every day.

_ I’m absolutely fucked,  _ he thinks not for the first time as he looks back to the telly, a sunset playing out on screen, beautiful and bright.  _ He won’t admit that he compares Harry to it, and it stood no chance _ , Harry would always be  _ number one _ . 

Finally, there is the big climax. The hero gets the girl, the villains are dead. Harry is, when Eggsy looks over, not even watching the movie, seemingly engrossed with his phone. He rapidly types something, eyebrows drawn together in something like confusion. Eggsy wants to reach over and smooth the crease, ask what’s wrong, but he doesn’t. 

The credits roll, the next thing that starts playing is one of those various soulmate flicks that his mum would make his father watch before he died. It’s cheesy, soulmates meeting and instantly falling in love. Then some terrible thing happens, they’re angry and split apart and everything is terrible for them. Everything falls apart before it comes together, and then a happily ever after comes to end it. 

He wouldn’t admit it, but he use to watch them as a teen. He always liked imagining himself in the various scenarios, finding the love of his life and spending his life with them. But all his classmates had got theirs. Then he watched as Jamal and Ryan got theirs, and they were so happy and he was so happy for them. 

He wouldn’t admit to being envious of it all. Angry at the universe for not allowing him to just be  _ happy _ . Instead he lost his own father, instead his mum started drinking, instead he got Dean. Instead everything went down a path he was afraid he would never be able to reverse. 

He can’t be angry with Harry for rejecting him, though. How could he be?  _ Harry is everything  _ and _ I am nothing,  _ he thinks silently. He feels more tired than he did earlier, somehow. He just wants to sleep, forget about the problems he has. Forget about everything for a while. Maybe he’ll go out with Roxy tomorrow to forget.

By the end of the movie, Harry looks exhausted. The crease between his eyebrows stays as he continues to reply to the person he is talking to. At one point he looks like he may throw his phone across the room, confusion turning to anger. Eggsy still doesn’t ask, instead focusing on the bit of the film where the couple start fighting. He thinks it is rather ironic that this part reminds him of he and Harry. He finds it even more ironic that Harry will never be his after this tension turns back to comfort. 

When the credits roll on this movie, Harry yawns before rising from his seat. He looks more tired than he did at the beginning of the movie, the crease between his eyebrows still there. Eggsy wishes he could make it go away, the older man looks stressed. 

_ I’m fucked,  _ he thinks as he looks at Harry.  _ I just want ‘im to be happy.  _

Harry looks at him, then, and smiles. The tension seems to melt from him as he looks at Eggsy, and something passes over his face that Eggsy can’t identify before it’s gone. He wants to ask what Harry is thinking, but he won’t. He never will, he fears. 

“I was thinking we would have lunch tomorrow, still? I wanted to try a new place by the other shop.” Eggsy looks at Harry, and the older man looks back, face unreadable. 

“Sounds aces, Harry. You gonna pick me up or am I gonna meet you there?”

“I’ll meet you there, I have something to discuss with Merlin tomorrow, anyways.”

Harry offers one last smile, or rather a smile by Harry’s standards, which are just upturned lips usually, before he disappears up the stairs. Eggsy is left alone wishing he could go with the older man, lay in his bed, be held by him. He shakes these thoughts off and turns off the telly, not interested in watching any more soulmate films.

Then there is darkness, the only light coming from the window, the moon creating a sort of glow to everything. Eggsy checks his phone and tells Roxy that they can go to the pub tomorrow since they couldn’t this weekend before he plugs it in and lays on the couch. 

He hopes that maybe his plans with Roxy will help, talking all of this out with her always seemed to help. She never judged, she listened and gave the best advice she could. It was always helpful, and she hopes that something clicks into place when he talks with her. 

Eggsy thinks back to the soulmate film they had just watched, and his final thought before he slips off into a dream about running through a forest after Harry rejects him is,  _ this ain’t that kind of movie, bruv. _

\---

Harry lays in bed, thinking about the conversation with Chester King. The weak-chinned aristocrat had tried to get Harry to abandon the case for Michelle, something about “People like them not deserving your skills.” The man could frankly, piss off if he thought for one second that he wouldn’t help Eggsy’s mother in whatever way she needed, especially since Dean Baker would go to jail like he deserved. 

He can feel a headache forming in his temples, his body tensing. He hates this feeling, hates being so angry that he feels like he might just crack. Chester had no right to try to stop him, even as his boss. He was the top of the company, and King wouldn’t dare fire him. 

  
He decides to stop thinking about it in favor of taking a shower and then sleeping. The shower relieved none of the tension that had been building since Chester had contacted him, and the thoughts of Eggsy doesn’t help any. His mind blinks between the two, slipping from Eggsy’s expression as he retreated up the stairs to the conversation with Chester.

In all, it just makes him more exhausted and tense. He doesn’t know what he wants to say to Eggsy, and added onto that, he had to live with the boy. He had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with him every day of the week basically. There was no escaping the boy, his smile, and all the feelings that inevitably came along with it. 

When he gets into bed, pajamas on, he finds that he can’t even sleep. It evades him despite the tension, headache, and his exhaustion. He has work early tomorrow, even if he always comes in late despite himself. 

But he can only think of Eggsy. Eggsy, who he is undoubtedly, in love with. Eggsy, who he would gladly give up anything for. Eggsy, who is not his in the slightest and never will be.  _ Eggsy. _

The moon illuminates his room, and he wishes that Eggsy was his, if not only to hold him. 

The room seems to spin, almost with the pain of the headache that had been building for hours now. He closes his eyes to imagine images of Eggsy’s smile. 

There is a silence that collects around him, the house is steady and reminds him of when it was always just him. Lonely and isolated from reality, stillness overwhelming him. He likes it better, now, with all the motion that was brought by Eggsy and his family. He finds that these days he doesn’t feel lonely, at least not in the way he used to. 

He does feel lonely in other ways, he knows. In ways that can’t just be filled by the presence of Eggsy and his family. He knows he just wants Eggsy. Wants him to love and to hold. He wants Eggsy to be his, and he knows that Eggsy isn’t, wouldn’t ever be. This loneliness, he finds, is much more complex. It’s been there since before he can remember, and while Eggsy fills some part of it, knowing that Eggsy isn’t, and will never be _his_ , doesn’t allow him to fill that piece of him he is missing. 

He’s grows tired of the thoughts that whirl through his head, a future where he and Eggsy are happy, a future where Eggsy is with someone else. They both seem like omens, he thinks to himself as he stares at his ceiling. He has never been too religious, never seeing the whole picture when it comes to it, but he prays that he can just sleep. 

By some miracle, he falls asleep when his body can’t stay awake anymore, First he dreams of being chased through an open field by nothing at all, and then of his kiss with Eggsy.

Soft and light, butterflies fluttering around them, sunlight hitting their profiles. It’s almost like watching one of those films he loves so much, but in this dream he doesn’t run away. In the dream he smiles and dives deeper. In the dream he and Eggsy are in love, and everything is better. 

He knows this is somehow both a nightmare and not. Both something he will never have again, and something he wants to remember and cherish more than anything in this world. He knows in the morning he will go back to this reality where Eggsy and him aren’t meant to be, where the tension is thick and suffocating. 

Nothing has been the same since he met Eggsy, and he can’t find it in himself to be anything but completely and utterly in love with him. 


	10. The Destructive Nature of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s obvious, Harry. You look at the lad like he hangs the stars. He looks at you the same. It’s sickening.” Harry almost wants to be offended, but he knows he looks at Eggsy like he is everything.
> 
> (Harry and Eggsy finally confront their feelings in more ways than one).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup folks!  
> I kept true to my promise of uploading on a normal schedule, so here I am on this fine Thursday night publishing chapter 10! This is both me and Bristi's favorite chapter, I really enjoy how it all worked out. 
> 
> I'm incredibly tired, both me and Bristi were sick as we were trying to write and beta this, which worked out fine in the end. I'm still sick now, since it takes me ages to get over stuff. Also I never mention this, but holy fuck I have nearly 4,000 people who have took time out of their day to read this story I wrote. It's incredible. Also credit to her for the title (it came from one of the lines in this chapter). 
> 
> Next chapter will probably be Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

When Harry wakes up, the first thing he realizes is that there is noise coming from somewhere in the house. Usually he is the first one up, so his confusion is understandable. He goes to take a shower and get ready for work instead of going down right away. He carefully puts on his suit. The meticulous movements are calming, yet he still can feel the lasting effects of his migraine from the night before. He tries to focus on tying a windsor knot for his tie, but there is still noise coming from downstairs.    
  
When he wanders down after getting dressed, he doesn’t expect Eggsy to be standing there in his work attire, jacket off, finishing breakfast. It had never happened before, Eggsy waking up before him. 

The younger man doesn’t notice him at first, his headphones probably loud since he thought he was alone. He was turned around facing the stove, humming what sounded like an 80’s pop song. He was shaking his hips, occasionally twirling with his eyes closed. Harry calls out to him, but Eggsy doesn’t hear him through the headphones. Harry walks over, and just as Eggsy spins again he reaches over to touch his wrist. 

Eggsy yelps, and spins to face Harry so fast he’s afraid the boy might get whiplash. The younger man rips off his headphones and laughs nervously. 

“How long have you been there?” 

Harry smiles to himself before telling him, “Long enough.” 

Eggsy turns red, the blush spreading to the tips of his ears. Harry almost wants to laugh at the way Eggsy reacts, but he keeps it in, barely. 

“So you cooked breakfast, did you? Since when are you a chef?” Harry asks as he walks over to where the various food Eggsy had finished sitting on the table. 

“Just thought I’d help out, I guess,” Eggsy says as he plates some sausages. It smells delicious, admittedly. He had never seen the boy cook breakfast, but the few times he had attempted to cook dinner had turned disastrous fast. Harry picks up a piece of bacon and eats it, instantly regretting every time he had cooked breakfast when Eggsy could have instead. 

“Eggsy, this is amazing. Where’d you learn to cook breakfast like this?” 

Eggsy looks at him from the kitchen and smiles sheepishly. “Dais usually woke up earlier than mum and Dean, so I’d always have to make her eat something, at least. She was so picky, I remember. Absolutely hated toast for some reason, would throw a fit if I even tried to hand it to her. Lunch, mum could do. But I did breakfast for her. She would always smile so wide when she ate the eggs, they always were her favorite. Guess she did get something from me.” 

By the end, Eggsy is slightly quieter, like he didn’t mean to say any of it. He doesn’t want to meet Harry’s eyes, so he doesn’t notice that Harry is smiling at him, soft and sweet.

“Daisy also got your heart and kindness, Eggsy. You know that, right? You have so much potential, you’re loyal. You’re going to do something amazing with your life, so will Daisy. You should know that, Eggsy.”

He still hasn’t turned to look at the older man, afraid of what he’ll say if Harry sees how honest he is about everything he just said. Because Harry doesn’t just say stuff for the sake of saying it. Harry is honest and kind, and Eggsy hates that he wants more than he can have. He wants this forever. 

“Thanks, Galahad. Pure of heart to the core, aren’t ya?” 

Harry chuckles, and Eggsy ignores the way his heart clenches at the sound. Instead, he focuses on finishing breakfast. 

As he finishes, Daisy and his mum are coming in, with Dais rubbing her eyes and yawning. She smiles when she sees Eggsy making eggs, bouncing in her chair until he puts them in front of her. She eats them quickly, another thing she has in common with Eggsy. Harry and Michelle looking at the both of them swallowing their food and Harry looks both repulsed and amused by them. 

MIchelle says she’ll wash the dishes since they have work to get to, and Eggsy kisses both her and Daisy on the cheek before walking outside to get in the same cab him and Harry always took to work. Andy, who must be Harry’s personal driver if the past few weeks are anything to go by, smiles at them. 

They sit on opposite sides in the backseat, and even if Eggsy wanted to move closer, he couldn’t. Instead he texts Roxy, smiling at her commentary of her morning so far. She’s ranting about her neighbours, some older couple who absolutely hate her and are louder than she ever is. They’re dickheads, are what they are. Eggsy hates them as well, based on his being over there countless times, and every single time they had done  _ something  _ rude. 

He laughs loudly when Roxy calls them a pair of twats, and Harry looks over at him questioningly. He tells him what Roxy had said, and Harry chuckles. Eggsy knows, theoretically, that he didn’t actually make the older man laugh, but he still feels an oddly proud sensation at hearing it. 

He wishes Harry would laugh more often, the sound always felt warm, and Eggsy truly didn’t think that he’ll ever stop feeling like Harry is his sun. It’s an odd sensation, he thinks, that he feels like every time the older man smiles, he might just burn alive. 

He does actually feel like he is burning alive, some fire burning in his chest at the thought and sight of Harry’s smile. 

He didn’t think it’d feel this way, to realize he was completely in love. He had danced around it since forever, of course. He had never faced it head on. He is  _ in love  _ with Harry Hart. His breathing feels faster, like his lungs aren’t working in the way they should. Harry looks back over at him, confusion mixing with the earlier smile. 

“Are you okay, Eggsy?”

Eggsy doesn’t want to say  _ yes _ , because that wasn’t true, not really. He expected it to feel different, but it just felt like it has always been this way. He has always been in love with Harry, he thinks distantly. He has never felt love for anyone else, he had never went past makeout sessions with his past flings, because it all seemed so trivial. He didn’t love them, they didn’t love him, and they always left. He was okay with this, so he waited for  _ the one.  _

He had kept out hope for his soulmate, wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he did. The whole deal, too. The quirky meeting, the smiles, the simple act of falling in love easily. 

Nothing was ever that easy in his life, though. First there was Dean, who would near kill him if he even thought that Eggsy was a poof. Dean, who was kind at first, but then cruel and abusive. Then there was school, the marines, Daisy, and work. 

There was no time for romance, or falling in love, or even  _ hope.  _ He startles when he feels Harry’s hand on his shoulder, and he belatedly realizes that Harry had asked him a question. 

“Yeah, ‘m fine, Haz.”

Harry looks completely unconvinced, an eyebrow arched, but he lets it go. Eggsy almost doesn’t know if that was what he wanted. Maybe he wanted to be asked, maybe just to get rid of the tension that still lingers between them. Just finally tell the older man that he is in love with him. 

He doesn't. He smiles and looks down at his phone, silent until he gets to the shop. He smiles at Harry and tells him they’re still on for lunch before waving and going to the door. He unlocks it, stepping inside. He mechanically sets up the shop like he always does. Goes through all the motions before he sits down behind the counter. He puts his head in his hands and closes his eyes. He wants to go back home, and he isn’t even surprised that he has started to think of Harry’s place as home. 

He sees parts of himself in the home, his shoes by the door, his favorite brand of tea in the cupboards, little pieces of himself that scatter and mix with Harry’s things. He smiles at the thought. Harry’s home was  _ his _ home.

He makes the decision that he will talk to Harry tonight, when they’re both home, since his mum and Daisy will be somewhere that he can’t remember. Maybe it was Tilly’s? He’s pretty sure that she said she’s taking Dais to the park again, since Daisy likes it there so much. He can’t remember, still. 

He tries to plan what he’ll say, but everything sounds stilted and wrong even to his own ears. 

_ I’m sorry I kissed you and that you ran, I really didn’t mean to fall in love with you.  _ Or  _ I realize that you’re not in love with me but I really don’t want you to leave so can we please forget it ever happened? _

He decides finally that he’ll just say whatever comes to mind, figuring it’ll be better than whatever he comes up with before they even talk. When he plans stuff like this, he always ends up saying the wrong thing, without fail. It’s always been like that.

He’s gonna get smashed tonight with Roxy, and then maybe he’ll have the courage. He really hopes he does, at least. He shakes all those thoughts off as Roxy enters, smiling and holding 2 cups like she always does when she gets to the shop. She smiles even brighter when she sees him somehow before kissing his forehead and handing him his cup. 

“Morning, Goldilocks. I got you tea today, Merlin said it was better for you, so I got both of us one.” Eggsy fake gags at her, and she shoves his arm before they dissolve into giggles.    
  
“You’re both absolutely disgusting already.” Roxy smiles blindingly at him before sticking her tongue at him. She’s happy, he notes. It’s the happiest she has ever been when talking about the older man. They’re both very obviously in love and he wonders if he’ll ever have that. He wonders if he’ll ever want anyone other than  _ Harry.  _ Because right now, it sure as fuck doesn’t feel like he will ever get over the older man. 

He smiles at her before checking his phone, noticing Harry has texted him to confirm the lunch plans a final time, telling him he’ll pick him up to try a new place. Eggsy confirms before looking back at Roxy. 

“You should tell him, you know.” He almost wants to laugh, because does it really show that much when he talks to Harry? But of course it does, he always smiles when he does, blushing slightly.    
  
“Think I’ll do it after we go out tonight,” he tells her slowly, gauging her reaction. Roxy nods and smiles, seemingly pleased with the idea that he’ll finally tell the older man. Roxy goes to the backroom, saying she needs to get reading, and Eggsy nods. 

The shop is still always empty in the mornings, which didn’t usually pick up until a little later. But today the door chimes, and in walks a younger man with dark, wavy hair. He wears an expensive suit, and walks with an air of arrogance that Eggsy automatically hates. Like the world owes him something for being born, and Eggsy can tell the bloke has been given everything he ever wanted in life by his rich, posh family. He puts on his customer smile and offers him a customary greeting. The bloke immediately turns the predatory smirk on him, and Eggsy wishes in that exact moment the world would swallow him whole. ‘

“I’m looking for a new suit. Perhaps you could measure me,” the bloke looks him up and down as he says it, and Eggsy nearly wants to punch him. He is no piece of meat, and he rather not have this absolute twat flirt with him. 

“You’ll need to create an appointment, bruv,” he says as he pulls out the book for their appointments, “These’re some time slots, but I’m not available yet for fittings.” The bloke looks even more delighted by this fact, as if Eggsy was posing a challenge. 

“Well,” the bloke looks at his nametag and pauses, “ _Eggsy_... my name is Charlie Hesketh. I know the owner.” He phrases it like Eggsy is supposed to drop his earlier statement and take him as his own customer, but Eggsy just nods. He recognizes the name though, from Harry’s stories. This is _the_ dickhead that Harry hates at the company, a silver spooned entitled child. Eggsy nearly wants to laugh, because Harry was absolutely right in the description. 

Hesketh looks displeased at the notion that Eggsy doesn’t drop to his knees and kiss his brown Oxfords, but in all honesty, Eggsy couldn’t care less about the bloke. Roxy comes back, and smiles at Charlie with a smile that looks almost like a predator looking at new prey. If Eggsy didn’t know better, he’d say Roxy looked ready to fight the bloke. But she just looks at the book on the counter and asks Charlie, who introduces himself again with something akin to fear this time, when he’d like to be fitted. 

Charlie quickly picks a random time with Percy, who is one of the most intimidating blokes that Eggsy is sure exists except around James. He loved the couple, now an honorary member of their family, and he hoped that Charlie was scared absolutely shitless by Percy. 

Eggsy smiles at the bloke before he writes his name in where he asked, slowly and with a strong sense of pride in Roxy, who he is sure could beat the hell out of any bloke she came across if she wanted. He almost wants to laugh at Charlie's face of pure terror, but he doesn’t. 

Charlie seems to snap out of his fear and smile at Eggsy one last time before placing the borderline, condescending smirk into place and walking out. Him and Roxy laugh as soon as the door chimes, and talk about him for the next half-hour. 

It’s almost like before. Where they didn’t have their Marks and everything was so much simpler. Eggsy doesn’t regret meeting Harry though, he’d do it a thousand times over again, if not only to see the older man’s smile, or hear him laugh a single time. 

He’s really not sure how to feel about this fact. He doesn’t have much to base it on. Sure, he remembers his mum and da’s love, but only in fragments. Little clips that, even if he tried, he couldn’t place in any order that would make sense. He remembers them dancing around the kitchen to old love ballads, Lee watching various soulmate flicks to make Michelle smile. He also remembers the heartbreak of his mum when he died though, and the emptiness she tried to use anything to fill up. Eventually she found Dean, who was good enough a filler as any would be. 

Dean, whose first time hitting Michelle was during a Saturday night, when Michelle wanted to watch some show and Dean was pissed, more drunk than he could remember. Eggsy remembers watching it and feeling helpless, and he remembers Dean apologizing and saying it’ll never happen again. Love, he thinks, is just as destructive as it is beautiful. 

The day goes slower when he’s waiting on lunch, so he decides to stop thinking about the break until it comes. He smiles at customers, and he talks with Roxy when she isn’t too busy with customers or Merlin, who had made more trips out of his office since Eggsy had started working here, just to talk to with Roxy. 

The bell rings some time later, Eggsy having forgotten the time due to some new game he had downloaded the last day. He looks up to be met with Harry, who wears his signature smile. He nods his head, and Eggsy smiles up at him from his stool when Harry gets to the counter. 

“I’ll be a minute with Merlin, and then we can walk to get lunch,” Harry says as he starts walking towards Merlin’s office. Eggsy nods his assent and goes back to the game. He almost wants to snoop to see what the older men were talking about, but he decides against it when Roxy comes back from where she was talking with Merlin. They talk about nothing while they wait for their respective people to get out of the office. 

\---

Harry doesn’t know what he had planned to talk to Merlin about. Which is a lie, he knows exactly  _ who  _ he wants to talk about. He just doesn’t know what to  _ say.  _ Which he isn’t accustomed to, he always know what to say. He knows what to say in court, he knows what to say to charm people, he  _ always knows.  _

He doesn’t know now though. He never seems to know anything concrete when it comes to Eggsy. The younger man had came into his life like a hurricane, changing every piece of himself he thought he knew. He never imagined he’d  _ want  _ to have a soulmate, and had even gotten comfortable with the idea that he never would have one. Then Eggsy came along, and he suddenly  _ understood  _ the want for one. He understood it all. 

Except Eggsy wasn’t his, and his Mark had come along all in one swoop, a hurricane once again. 

He walks into Merlin’s office, not bothering to knock since the man knew he was coming. He’s sitting at his desk, on that pesky tablet of his that seems to be attached to his body. He looks up at Harry and nods slightly, going back to whatever he was doing on the tablet. 

“I think I’m in love with the boy.” Merlin doesn’t react at all, doesn’t widen his eyes or gasp like Harry had imagined he would when he told the man this. 

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Merlin remarks, still not looking up from the tablet in his hands, and Harry almost wants to take it away from him. 

“What does that even mean? How did you  _ know _ ? _ ”  _ he asks the man, who still has not looked up from the tablet. 

“It’s obvious, Harry. You look at the lad like he hangs the stars. He looks at you the same. It’s sickening.” Harry almost wants to be offended, but he knows he looks at the boy like he is everything. He isn’t quite so sure of the latter, surely he would have noticed if the boy was genuinely in love with him. Eggsy couldn’t  _ possibly  _ love him. He just  _ couldn’t.  _

“You are the least useful person in this situation, old friend.” Merlin arches an eyebrow, finally looking up from his tablet. 

“I’m telling the truth, Harry, and you know it. I wouldn’t lie, you know that.” Harry rolls his eyes with an air of disbelief. Eggsy does not look at him like he is in love, it’s just not possible. He changes the subject to Michelle’s case for a while, before telling him his goodbye. They make plans before he leaves for that night, giving Michelle another night to herself with Daisy. 

He walks back out to Eggsy, who smiles at him as he grabs his coat. The wind outside is sharper than usual, but the sun warms everything up. They walk side-by-side, talking about small things. The new restaurant that he wanted to take them to is a little larger than their normal one, warm and comfortable. Harry had it recommended to him by one of his clients a few days ago, and he wanted to try it with Eggsy, since he thought the younger man might enjoy it. 

He orders for Eggsy, as always, the younger man always smiles when he does it. He wants to ask why he likes it, but Eggsy always enjoys it, and if Harry doesn’t order immediately, he’ll ask for recommendations. 

They talk about work for a bit, and then it moves onto Michelle. He liked Michelle; Eggsy’s mother is kind and although he holds some sort of resentment for the woman keeping Eggsy in the abusive situation she created, he still believes in some redemption. He talks about her case with Eggsy, who seems relieved that it’s finally  happening. Eggsy smiles when he talks about it that Harry feels like he is floating, free and light. 

Eggsy always makes him feel like that, it seems. For so long, Harry just  _ knew  _ he would never be in love, it always seemed inevitable he would  _ always _ be alone. He was too focused on his work, not enough time for a soulmate, not enough time to fall in love. He wonders if fate exists, because he’s sure that some higher power must have brought the younger man into his life. 

Lunch ends much more quickly than he would like, but he consoles himself with the fact he genuinely  _ lives  _ with the younger man and will see him later. 

He walks Eggsy back to the shop, and confirms a final time the plans with Merlin before saying his goodbyes to Eggsy and beginning the walk back to his office. He almost wants to just skip out, go to the park and sit on a bench. Watch the people walking by, watch the birds. But he likes his office despite the constant presence of the annoying brats who work there. Charlie, mainly, who is constantly sucking up to anyone in power, including him. 

It was annoying, to say the least. But he walks into his building regardless, waving at Amelia as he goes by, and rides the elevator to his floor. His office is quiet, as it always is. The wall of windows is breathtaking, as always. He sits in his chair and looks out over to the horizon, trying his best to keep Eggsy out of his mind. He busies himself with Michelle’s case, he didn’t need much more except the list of witnesses and a testament from Michelle herself. He’ll be finished soon enough, he thinks to himself. 

He texts Eggsy an update on the case, and smiles when the reply is immediate and enthusiastic. 

They continue texting, which eases the tension that being in this building brings him. It’s easy, and Eggsy always texts like he speaks, enthusiastic and bright. Harry snaps a quick photo of the view from his office and sends it to the younger man with the caption, ‘ _ thought you might enjoy this _ .’ Eggsy sends back a dozen heart emojis and a photo of himself smiling in front of the shop’s main window, the same sky showing. Harry wouldn’t admit it, but he doesn’t think about it before he saves the photo to his phone. 

He works until it’s time to go home, determined to finish up the majority of Michelle’s case. It doesn’t take all too long, as Michelle provides people willing to testify, which is not that many, but those who do are just ready to see Dean and his gang gone. He’ll take her testimony soon enough, then it’s all set in place, and Dean will rot in a cell. 

He takes pride in that fact as Andy drives him home. Merlin says that they’ll meet at their usual place somewhere near sunset, and Harry agrees since he has dinner to cook. He picks up Eggsy, who looks nervous, as if waiting to say something. Harry doesn’t want to push the younger man, so he lets it go. When they arrive home, neither Daisy nor Michelle are there, the house silent and still.

He travels upstairs, taking off his suit jacket and waistcoat, his shoes having been taken off at the door. He wants to roll his sleeves up, but refrains. When he travels back downstairs, Eggsy looks even more nervous than before, wringing his hands. Harry arches his eyebrow but says nothing once again, figuring if Eggsy wanted to talk then he would. 

He cooks Eggsy’s favorite pasta, prompting the younger man to smile at Harry when he notices before going back to looking anxious. He’s concerned, but still doesn’t want to push the younger man. When he’s finished, Harry puts some extra aside for Daisy and Michelle to eat when they return. They sit down, and Eggsy thanks him before starting to eat. 

When they’re done, Eggsy says he’ll wash the dishes, and Harry comes with him to help. But Eggsy laughs nervously and says he can wash and dry for today, and Harry can do it tomorrow. Harry tells Eggsy various stories while the younger man meticulously scrubs the various plates.

He is in the middle of some tale about Merlin in their younger days when Eggsy interrupts saying, “I think we need’ta talk.” Harry is surprised Eggsy is the one who brought it up, but he nods his head to signify he is listening. 

Eggsy looks surprised at himself, like he didn’t mean to actually say it. He has stopped his movements, had even dried his hands and rolled down his sleeves while Harry wasn’t looking. 

“Uh… ‘m just… sorry,” Eggsy says, and it sounds like a question more than anything. Harry arches his eyebrow at it, confused. “For kissing you. ‘M very sorry for kissing you. I dunno what I was thinkin’, just doin’ that. I mean, I get it, why you ran I mean. Who would wanna kiss  _ me,”  _ he says, and Harry wants to tip his chin up, make him look him in the eyes. Because who  _ wouldn’t  _ want to kiss this beautiful boy? But Harry doesn’t say that, he doesn’t actually know what to say, and he opens his mouth, but Eggsy keeps going. 

“I just… Why did you kiss back?” 

Harry wants to say it’s because he is in love with him, but the words get tangled in his throat. Eggsy looks up, and he seems close to tears. 

“If you didn’t want me, why’d you kiss back?” 

Harry shakes his head and pulls together his thoughts. It’s a whirlwind. Eggsy wanted to kiss him. It wasn’t some drunk mistake after too much champagne. It was purposeful, and suddenly, his brain is a hurricane, everything seemingly spinning. 

“You have to understand Eggsy, you’re so much younger than me. You have a Mark. You have a soulmate somewhere who loves you, who is waiting on you. You don’t want  _ me.  _ You’re so full of hope, and life, and I’m just  _ not.  _ I have a Mark, too. No matter how much I wanted to kiss back, I couldn’t let myself selfishly take you from your chance at the love of your life. You understand that, right, Eggsy?” 

Eggsy looks at him, somewhere a cross between sadness and anger. He opens his mouth to reply and closes it again. 

“Fuck my soulmate. I want  _ you,  _ ‘arry. I  _ love you.  _ It’s always been  _ you.  _ If having a Mark means not having you, then screw my soulmate and my Mark. I don’t care if you’re older than me, and I couldn’t give a single fuck about any soulmate if it’s not you. I am  _ in love  _ with you, ‘arry. You have to know that.” Harry’s Mark is tingling, almost like a vibration under his skin, humming. 

Eggsy seems to come back to himself all at once when Harry doesn’t reply automatically, his face contorting into horror at what he just said and suddenly he is rushing past Harry, grabbing his coat and shoes. Harry is glued in place for a moment before he jumps into action, rushing after Eggsy. 

“Eggsy, stop,” he says as he catches Eggsy’s wrist as the younger man is about to walk out the door. Eggsy looks back up at him, tears still welling in his eyes. 

“I… just can’t, ‘arry. I just can’t,” he says, and then he pries his wrist from Harry’s hand before walking out the door, disappearing down the street, leaving Harry along in his wake. 

Harry doesn’t know what else to do, so he first calls Andy to pick him up, then he finishes washing the dishes that Eggsy started, and then calls Merlin to move forward their plans, knowing Eggsy will probably head out with Roxy, leaving Merlin free at the same time. 

His Mark is still humming, and his skin feels too tight, like his Mark is trying to tell him to do something. But Harry ignores it, redonning his coat and shoes. Andy is waiting for him when he walks out, and Harry quickly tells him where to go. 

When he looks up, Andy is looking back at him through the mirror. 

“Are you quite alright, sir,” the man asks as he starts driving. Harry rubs the place where his Mark is over his jacket, the tingling starting to fade. 

“No, I don’t think I am, Andy,” he says, and the rest of the ride is silent. 


	11. The Beautiful Butterfly, Flying Higher than Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He’s sure that in the morning he’ll wonder why he keeps having dreams of the butterflies that mark his skin, but he doesn’t tonight." 
> 
> (They finally talk, it goes as well as neither of them thought).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup y'all! I am very thankful because holy shit 4,200 people have read! Ah! 
> 
> Also I said I would post at least once a week and for me it's around 11:30 right now but I am gonna post TODAY because it's Thursday. Real shout out to Bristi who gave me an absolute bomb idea about the plot of this chapter and helped with how to write the ending. I left it off kinda abrupt but next chapter will continue with it I promise! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Love you all so much and I'll be posting Tuesday hopefully. Haven't wrote too much because of school and me being sick and all. But I'm getting (slowly) better. Blame it on my niece, who gave me it.

Eggsy doesn’t actually know where he is going. He had walked out so fast, he hadn’t even thought about it. But now he was absolutely sure he was lost and had taken one too many turns somewhere. He calls Roxy for help, since she knows the area better.

“I’m lost,” is the first thing he says to her, with no greeting or preamble. Roxy laughs at him, but asks him to send her his closest location he has and she says she’ll pick him up in a while and they can go to the pub. She doesn’t ask why he’s lost, or why he didn’t allow Harry to drive him where he was going, and Eggsy isn’t sure if he is grateful for this fact or not.

He stays where he is, and then there is Roxy in a cab, waving him in and giving the address for the pub they always go to. Eggsy feels himself relax slightly, Roxy’s easy presence soothing. She notices immediately that something is wrong, though. She raises an eyebrow, obviously confused for a second before she smiles and changes the subject to something easy and carefree. Eggsy is grateful this time, realizing he is not ready to talk about it without some type of beer in his system.

He luckily doesn’t have to go into work until afternoon tomorrow, Percy and James taking their morning shift instead. He’s happy for the fact and wants to drink until he can’t feel the tension that hangs over his head like a storm ready to strike. He doesn’t want to feel this way, not _now._

When they get to the pub, it’s just as full as it always is. Seemingly, the people who visit always do, same time and same place. All older white blokes with 9 to 5 jobs that they hate. Eggsy doesn’t fit in here, neither does Roxy really, but they both walk in like they own the place.

\---

It doesn’t take long for Eggsy to drink what seems like his body weight in cheap beer. It tastes slightly better than it does at the Black Prince, but he had never truly fancied beer anyhow. He could only talk about Harry in inches, small parts of the full story that always sidestepped the full one. But Roxy still listened, and he’s grateful that she’s his friend.

He looks down at his empty glass before turning to look at Roxy, who sits right beside him. She smiles at him, pissed beyond belief as well. He’s sure he’ll have a killer hangover tomorrow but he decides that it’s fully worth the distraction that it provides from Harry.

“D’ya think tha’ I’ll ever love my soulmate, Rox?”

Roxy looks over at him and slowly says, “I don’t know, babe.” She looks like she is thinking of something, and then there is a silence.

“I told ‘arry that I was in love with ‘im.” Roxy looks unsurprised at this fact, and she nods wisely, like she has the answers to everything.

He feels sick, and it’s not because of the beer now. He rolls up his sleeves and looks at his Mark, still just as beautiful as it had always been. He wants to hate it, but it’s gorgeous. He wonders if it’s because of it that he keeps having the butterfly dreams. The butterflies that line Harry’s butterflies are beautiful, in a weird way. Dead and pinned to the wall, preserved in their beauty. He knows Harry has countless books about them, reads them near constantly. He’s listened before, just listened to Harry talk about the various species and their behavior. It had never interested him until he heard Harry talk with such passion about them.

He focuses back on Roxy, who says with the utmost care, “And what did he say?”

Eggsy sighs and looks back down at his Mark. Harry had basically said nothing at all. Had just said that he wasn’t enough for Eggsy, which was a fucking lie if he had ever heard one. Harry is everything, and Eggsy is nothing. He can’t even compare to the older man, and Harry thought he wasn’t good enough for _Eggsy?_ What a pile of shite it all was.

“He just said I had a soulmate, like it’s s’pose to make me not love him. Like he ain’t good ‘nough for me,” he scoffs here, “as if. I didn’t care about soulmates. I don’t care.”

Roxy looks at him softly, too soft. He orders a new drink, swallowing half of it before he realizes he’s tired as hell. He wants to sleep, and he tells Roxy as much. She agrees, and they pay their tab, smiling at Jeremy, the bartender. They step outside, stumbling and laughing as they make jokes to lighten the mood.

Roxy hails down a cab, and he tells the driver the address to Harry’s house. He knows his mum was probably curious as to where the fuck he was at all night, and he knows she is already asleep, along with Daisy. He takes comfort in the fact that he won’t need to face her tonight. He leans his head against Roxy’s shoulder, who still seems much more sober than him.

He hadn’t actually told her the full story about Harry. He decides then that he’ll tell her later, maybe when he’s not pissed as all hell of slightly more expensive beer than he got when he was 20. Roxy is soothingly brushing his hair out of his face, running her hands through it. She really is his best mate, he thinks as the cab winds through the streets to Harry’s house. He still has no idea where he is, but he’s comforted by the fact that he’ll get home soon enough.

He doesn’t think about the fact that Harry will probably be there too, or the fact that when he wakes up he’ll be in pain due to his hangover. Instead he thinks about butterflies, and while he knows they correlate directly to his Mark, they’re comforting.

The cab finally stops outside of the house, and Roxy nudges him out with a kiss on the forehead, waving back to him as the car disappears. He hesitates at the front door, terribly afraid that maybe Harry had just locked him out. The older man wouldn’t do that, he knows, but he can’t help but think _maybe._

The door isn’t locked, and Eggsy pushes inside gratefully. He feels more exhausted than before he left, like the ride over here took everything he had. He stumbles through taking off his jacket, shoes, and shirt before collapsing on the couch. He doesn’t know if Harry is here or not, but the house is quiet and so he doesn’t walk up the stairs to see. The couch is soft, and the blanket he uses smells like Harry because of the detergent he uses to wash it. Some flower, he thinks slowly.

He falls asleep near automatically and dreams of butterflies for what feels like the millionth time since he met Harry.

\---

Harry goes to the same place he and Merlin always go. It’s quiet, and mostly just a good place to talk and drink. Harry isn’t quite so sure he wants to talk today, but he also knows Merlin will drag it out of him some sneaky way or another. Andy drops him off and nods as Harry stands on the pavement. It’s quiet today in the pub, which makes sense considering it’s a Tuesday night. He nearly wants to laugh at the absurdity of it. Him drinking over a boy half his age on a Tuesday night when he has work tomorrow.

Merlin is already in their normal booth when he makes his way over, sipping at a pint with a small frown, like he hates the taste of it. He slides into the booth across from Merlin after he orders himself a Guinness. The other man raises an eyebrow at him but looks perfectly okay with not being the first to talk.

“He told me that he is in love with me.”

Merlin nods sagely, “What did you say to him?”

“I told him that he has a soulmate and that it’s ridiculous to settle with me. What else could I say? I’m twice his age, and he has a soulmate who will love him.”

“You love him, you fool. He wants to be with you. Let yourself be happy for once. Jesus.”

Harry doesn’t want to seem childish and stomp his foot or some other child-like thing he could do, so he instead takes a sip from his glass. Merlin just rolls his eyes in a manner that is so Merlin it’s nearly textbook.

They drink until Harry is pleasantly tipsy, he knows that with his tolerance there won’t even be a real hangover. Merlin looks somehow unfazed and buzzed all at once, a blush spreading across his face. It’s hilarious to Harry.

They get a cab soon after, Harry giving both the addresses since Merlin seems more intent on waxing poetry about Roxy’s hair or eyes or some other characteristic that Harry isn’t paying attention to. He sneaks in a video as blackmail, and arches an eyebrow when Merlin starts singing some country song that Eggsy can’t remember the name to. There is no discernible chorus from the parts Merlin sings, but he’s sure it’s something about home.

When he gets home, the door isn’t locked, which he knows is because Michelle didn’t want to lock them out. He steps inside, and takes off his coat and shoes. He peers into the dark sitting room, and there Eggsy is, asleep and slightly snoring. He shouldn’t find the scene as adorable as he does, but he can’t help the way his heart feels fuller.

The boy looks cold, seemingly forgotten to have covered himself with the blanket that hangs over the back of the couch. He walks back to the door and locks it before going to the couch. He places the throw over the younger man, pushes the blonde hair out of the boys face. He knows the boy went to a pub only due to Merlin confirming it when he said that was where Roxy was heading earlier. He goes to the loo, getting pills for the headache that Eggsy will surely have in the morning if he had drunk anything. He knew the younger man had a horrible tolerance for any alcohol. He fills a cup with water and places both on the table, hoping Eggsy sees them when he wakes up.

He takes one last look before walking to the stairs and going to his room. He takes a quick shower and climbs into his bed. He falls asleep immediately to the sound of the ticking clock on his nightstand. He dreams of butterflies again, he could name every species he sees, but instead he just enjoys the beauty of them all. He’s sure that in the morning he’ll wonder why he keeps having dreams of the butterflies that mark his skin, but he doesn’t tonight.

\---

When he wakes up, Harry genuinely considers taking the day off. It’s too early, and while he isn’t technically hungover he still feels off. Like he is not quite to where he is supposed to be. He knows, theoretically, that it’s because of Eggsy, and their discussion yesterday night. He decides very quickly, still looking at his ceiling, that they’ll talk about it today. He knows Eggsy doesn’t have work until somewhere near lunch, when Percival and James have some plans that he doesn’t remember.

There is silence for a while in the room, stillness that he doesn’t want to disturb. There is a faint noise that he can’t discern that is coming from downstairs, muffled beyond recognizable limits. It still takes more effort than it should to get out of bed, but he needs to shower.

He gets dressed quickly, quicker than his normal 10 minutes at least. He slowly walks downstairs, afraid of who might be up. Except that isn’t quite right, he’s scared it is _Eggsy_ that is up. He makes his way to the kitchen first, and there stands Michelle. She’s whistling some show tune that Harry can’t remember the name of. Daisy is in her arms, and she’s making breakfast with the radio playing quietly. She has a beautiful voice, same as Eggsy the one time he had heard the younger man sing.

She turns around to look at him, smiling when he nods his head at her. There is a moment of silence, and then she turns off the radio, setting Daisy down at the table.

“You got a soulmate, Mr. Hart?” Harry is briefly confused as to where the question is going. He nods regardless of his confusion. “You know him?” she asks as she plates the food. She motions for him to sit down next to Daisy.

“I do,” he tells her. Her expression is carefully blank, something Harry had perfected over the years. He wants to ask where this all came from, but he also wants to see where this goes.

“Do you know who they are yet, then?”

He shakes his head at the question. He has hopes, of course. He knows who he wishes it were. He knows it’s not who he wants it to be.

“That must be difficult. When did you get your Mark?”

Harry briefly considers giving a half truth of sorts, but instead he looks at her and tells her the truth, “Weeks ago, actually.”

She nods like she knows something that he doesn’t, but he decides to drop it in favor of eating what she had made. Daisy, smiling and tired, eats his eggs and her own, and giggles when he pokes her for taking them. Eggsy walks in near the end of them all eating, Daisy shouting his name when he stumbles towards the table. He smiles slightly, his head obviously still hurting.

Michelle gets up and cleans the dishes while Eggsy sits and sips at a mug of coffee he had gone to make earlier. There is a silence at the table, Daisy drawing on the table as Eggsy eats a slice of toast and Harry tries to avoid the younger man’s eyes. Soon enough, Michelle is done and grabbing Daisy and her bag. She says she’s going to meet up with Debbie, her sister, for the day. Harry smiles at her and nods, watching as Eggsy kisses her and Daisy on the cheeks. Soon they’re gone, and it’s just Eggsy and him alone.

Silence is smothering, Harry finds, when one doesn’t know how to break it.

There is a moment where he considers just avoiding it in general. But he knows that he has to mention it, say _something._ So he does.

“Do you know who your soulmate is, Eggsy?”

The younger man looks at him, first confused and then just exhausted. Like it takes everything in his power just to be awake, and he flinches at the question as if it hurt him.

“Nah,” he says, tired and resigned, “No clue.”

Harry nods solemnly. “Where is your Mark, then?”

Eggsy still looks confused, and Harry doesn’t actually know where he is gonna take this.

“My arm.” Harry nods again at the answer to his question before he asks Eggsy if he’d like to get lunch despite the younger man not going in till later. Eggsy looks like he might refuse at first, probably make up some non-existent plans with Roxy to get out of it despite Harry knowing Roxy and Merlin spend lunch together.

“Sure. Where?”

“Normal place, I’ll have Andy pick you up from here and bring you to the restaurant if that is fine with you.” Eggsy nods his assent and says he’ll do the dishes since Harry needs to get to work soon enough. Harry agrees, knowing that despite him leaving on time he’ll always be late, if not only to annoy Chester.

He nods and leaves, Andy waiting for him already. He knows it is going to be a long day.

\---

It takes until Friday for him to bring it up with Harry that he said he was in love with the older man. He puts it off, some corner of his mind always going back to Harry asking about his Mark everytime he wanted to bring it up. Maybe the older man wanted to remind him that he has it, and it always stopped Eggsy from bringing the conversation up. He hadn’t thought that maybe Harry didn’t want to talk about it.

He secretly stares at Harry when the older man isn’t looking, and he bites his tongue when he wants to say something, and he clenches his fist when he wants to _touch._ Because it happens far more than he’d like, times where he almost gives up on withholding and just goes for it.

He debates with himself at lunch, which they still have together despite the lasting tension of a fucking _love confession that was completely failed._ The whole time he barely listens to Harry talking about Charlie, or maybe it was Chester. He can’t think about it, really. He needs to bring it up, because he needs to know where they stand. Harry, back on Tuesday, had asked him about his Mark but that meant practically meant nothing. Maybe the older man was curious as to who the person was.

_“Eggsy,” Harry says, brows knitted in concern, “Eggsy?”_

Eggsy snaps back to the table where they are having lunch, like being dropped back into the middle of a scene he can’t remember. He looks up to see Harry looking concerned, a hand already outreached to touch Eggsy before the older man seems to think better of it.

“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking of something. Keep going.”

Harry seems concerned still but nods before going on the with story about _Charlie._ The prick had come back in the shop earlier in the weak.

“You know that arse came in the shop flirting with me Wednesday. What a dickhead he is,” Eggsy says, looking up to see Harry clenching his fist, almost as if he wants to punch Charlie right in his nose. Eggsy would gladly pay to watch such a scene. Eggsy stops looking at the way that Harry’s hand clenches, large enough to wrap around his throat if Harry wanted, and instead looks down at his lunch. It’s much safer to not pop a stiffy in the middle of lunch.

When Harry drops him off at the shop, Eggsy immediately tells Roxy what he plans on doing. He’s thinking of just asking to see Harry’s Mark. Just to see what it looks like. Is it as beautiful as Eggsy imagines it is? Does it have butterflies like Eggsy’s does? He wonders what colour it is, if it is small or large, where it is. He doesn’t have a distinct plan yet, but Roxy immediately cheers him on, smiling and calling him Cinderella about to get her prince.

Eggsy softly punches her arm, more a tap, before laughing at the joke. She’s always said that, always called him some Disney princess that he doesn’t even resemble. As retaliation, he mentions her relationship with Merlin just to see her blush and mumble in embarrassment.

\---

When he and Harry get home, neither his mum or Dais is home. He knows they’re at his aunt’s house again, they’ve been visiting more often now since Dean is out of the picture. He also knows she’ll be staying until around Sunday or Monday. He’s grateful for this, it’ll be much less awkward to confront the person he is in love with without his mum listening in to it all.

Both he and Harry change into more casual clothes, Harry mentioning that he’s going to order something from the Thai place near the house. Eggsy agrees, suddenly starving. He decides to wait until after dinner to start the conversation. Mostly just to come up with a real plan on what the _fuck_ he wants to say.

He eats more slowly than he normally would. He watches the way that Harry laughs at the jokes he tells, the way his throat moves when he swallows. Eggsy almost wants to just put the conversation off again, but he is so _tired_ of the tension that settles around them when they’re alone together.

Soon enough they’re done eating, and Eggsy cleans up while Harry washes the dishes. He is tempted to just ask right then, ask Harry about his Mark right in the middle of the kitchen while Harry scrubs the Thai food off his good plates. He doesn’t.

Instead he offers to buy ice cream for them, because he still isn’t prepared. Harry agrees, obviously confused but willing enough. They walk there in silence, and for the first time in a long time it isn’t uncomfortable.

Harry always orders vanilla, and Eggsy always makes fun of him for being boring. It isn’t exactly boring, but he likes the way that Harry always huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes in fondness. He wants to taste the vanilla mix with the chocolate ice cream. Suddenly kissing Harry is the only thing in his head, a loop of Harry’s lips on his own.

It doesn’t take long for them to be done, which is fine enough for Eggsy. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants to say to the older man yet, but he decides it’s better to just do _something. Anything._

They walk back home after Eggsy pays, Harry offers to do it instead, but Eggsy refuses. He smiles the whole way home, butterflies flapping around in his stomach.

When they return, a film is playing on the telly, but he can’t remember the name of it, and he knows it ends much more tragically than he likes. His knee is bouncing, a bad habit that he always does when he’s nervous. He can’t stop it, and Harry keeps looking over at him in concern. They started the night at opposite ends of the couch, and yet he always ends up with his knees touching Harry’s. Like he’s being pulled in, gravity working against him. He feels safe when Harry is close, the smell of him calming him in some way. Like he is warm, happier when Harry is near. Suddenly he just knows what he wants to say.

“I’m still in love with you, y’know,” Eggsy tells him just as one of the women on the telly kisses some bloke she loves. Harry’s eyes widen, and Eggsy almost wants to leave it at that again, run _again._ But he _can’t_ run, he is so _tired_ of running away.

“Doesn’t even matter that you don’t feel the same, y’know. I know you got a Mark, you can show me it. Won’t change my mind. Nothing could, I don’t think.”

Harry turns and looks at him then, opening and closing his mouth twice while seemingly searching for words.

“I never said I don’t feel the same, my dear boy,” Harry tells him, voice as soft and sweet as it always is. Eggsy feels his chest constrict with the weight of the words he just heard. Harry never did say he didn’t feel the same, Eggsy had just ran. He was so afraid, and he never let Harry get his words in.

Eggsy feels overwhelmed, like everything is crashing around him all at once. Maybe Harry does love him. There are too many possibilities, everything swimming in his head together.

“Do you love me?” Eggsy asks him, slowly and too quiet. He feels fear course through him, suddenly hyper aware that _this is it._ The beginning or the end. The beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning.

After a pause, Harry continued, “I do, my dear boy. I am terribly in love with you as well.”

Eggsy feels the final wave, and then he is moving, straddling Harry’s lap and kissing him. Harry kisses just as he remembered, soft yet powerful. Eggsy wants to whimper, everything feels soft. Sunlight and butterflies. Harry tastes like vanilla and mint, lips soft against his own. Like a hurricane, yet incredibly gentle. Everything about Harry, he’s sure, is in some way a contradiction. The older man is in complete control, it’s automatically obvious in the way the older man kisses, rough and controlled. Eggsy wants to ruin that control so bad, push and push and push until Harry stops being so collected all the time.

“I’ve always wanted you. Since the day I met you, Eggsy. Didn’t you know that?” Harry whispers into his mouth.

Eggsy shakes his head slightly, whimpering when Harry nips at his bottom lip slightly. He wants to cry suddenly, his head still spinning. Everything feels like too much and not enough all at once. He wants to see Harry’s Mark, some part of his brain shouting at him to do it. His own Mark is singing, humming in pleasure.

He pulls back, the nagging in his head to just look at Harry’s Mark once overwhelming. Some alarm going off in his head, blaring and bright. He _needs_ to look. He just wants to see, wants to know for sure if it is him or not. Of course, it wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t, he’d still be in love with the older man. But he had learned at a young age that closure was absolute aces, moving on was something that healed or whatever other shite his aunt would say to his mum.

“Can I see your Mark, Harry?”

The older man looks up from Eggsy’s lips to his eyes in one quick motion, something similar to hesitation writing itself across his face before it is replaced with acceptance. “How about we show each other them at the same time, my boy,” Harry suggests. Eggsy nods quickly, suddenly even more aware of the humming that seems to radiate from his Mark. It’s a strange feeling, and it hasn’t happened since he had kissed Harry that first time, or maybe it was when he told him he was in love with him. It always relates to Harry in some way.

He leans back slightly, grasping his sleeve just as Harry grasps his own. They roll their shirts up in sync, and suddenly it feels like he can’t breath. Or maybe like for the first time in forever he can breath. His Mark hums louder, brighter. Everything is so bright, everything is _electric._

He kisses Harry again, bruising and intense. He leans back only to touch Harry’s Mark, soft and tracing. He follows the path of the butterflies, gold mixing with black. Harry is looking at him like he’s the universe and Eggsy wants to cry again. Because this is _it._

Eggsy has been waiting for this moment forever, had thought he lost hope. But now Harry is his _soulmate. Harry Hart is his soulmate._ His brain feels like it kicks into overdrive.

“You know, my dear boy, I’ve dreamed about this exact moment.”

Eggsy laughs, half hysterical and kisses the older man again, and again, and again. It’s heated again, sweetness and lust all turning into one thing that is unstoppable. Eggsy’s Mark is all sweet sparks up his spine, and he knows in the back of his head that it’s been waiting. He knows also that he has been waiting. He had been so prepared to have Harry show him it and it to be some other Mark, some other colour for some other person. He feels half drunk off the knowledge that Harry is in love with him, and not only that but he is his soulmate. It’s almost shocking the way everything had changed so fast. His whole life has led to this moment, he knows.

He smiles as he kisses Harry again. Laughing when Harry nips his lip this time, the older man still tastes like vanilla, and love, and _home_.


	12. My Dearest Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It’s nice, he decides, he’s beautiful in a way that makes Eggsy warm. Harry is absolutely everything he’s ever wanted, and seeing him now, after all this? Eggsy knows he’s in good hands. Harry would never hurt him." 
> 
> (Everything works out for the first time in Eggsy's life).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup y'all! 
> 
> So sorry for not posting last week! Bristi was very sick (she had the flu) and I refuse to allow someone who was sleep deprived as all fuck overwork themselves on my account. She had a ton of work for school, and I rather have her focus on that. Worth more, y'know. Anyways she needs to recover and I don't wanna hinder that in any way. She's an absolute legend for editing my work anyway. 
> 
> Anyways so I'll try to post twice next week to make up for! She's going on a trip somewhere for a few days so I'll write this weekend and she'll edit it then (if I do it... I'll try!). 
> 
> It's 11:33pm right now, so technically still Thursday and I'm posting on the day I said I would. 
> 
> I've been feeling better as well, but school is still very stressful so we'll see where me writing this weekend goes! Thanks for the support and for 4700+ readers (I mean that's so? great? I will cry).

The film plays in the background, and Eggsy still can’t pay attention to it. Harry’s mouth is fairly distracting, he knows, but it’s somehow worse now. Everything feels heightened, and the older man’s mouth still tastes like ice cream. There is a heat around them, all while Eggsy is still straddling Harry’s lap. He feels breathless.  _ Harry  _ is still kissing him. 

His Mark is humming on his skin, pleasure flowing up his spine. He rocks forward and feels the bulge in Harry’s trousers. He knows there is a matching one in his own joggers, and he moves his hips in a circular motion again. He whimpers at the added pleasure from his Mark and the friction. 

Harry is still snogging him, in control, and all too good to be true. Eggsy groans, and Harry seemingly swallows the noise. Eggsy smiles as he nips at Harry’s lip this time, and Harry makes a noise that sounds similar to a growl, and it goes straight to Eggsy’s groin. He rolls his hips again, and Harry’s hands goes to his hips, squeezing with all the hidden strength Eggsy knew was there. He hopes, in the back of his mind somewhere, that they leave bruises in the shape of his fingerprints. 

Harry pulls Eggsy’s hips in this time, rolling them with his strong hands. Eggsy pulls away slightly to moan, and Harry takes the opportunity to start kissing down his jaw. Eggsy makes a choked off groan that turns into a whimper when Harry suddenly bites his neck. He knows the bite will leave a mark, and it sends a heat down his spine at the thought of people  _ knowing  _ that Harry owns him in this way. He moans as Harry keeps doing it, biting down his neck and then licking the marks, as if in a sort of peace offering. 

Eggsy’s fingers fumble to find the buttons of Harry’s shirt, but the older man stops him. Instead Harry begins to take off Eggsy’s shirt, and the younger man gasp when Harry’s fingers twist his nipples. He rolls his hips again, but Harry’s hands are back at his hips when Eggsy’s shirt is gone, thrown somewhere over his shoulder. Suddenly Harry picks him up, and Eggsy truly can’t stop the gasp that escapes him at the show of Harry’s  _ raw  _ strength. 

They’re up the stairs quickly, and suddenly they’re in Harry’s room. Eggsy has been in here countless times for various reasons, but he had never truly noticed the blood red of Harry’s bed set. He doesn’t have much time to think about when suddenly he’s pushed against the door, and Harry’s mouth is back on his. Eggsy tries to get some friction, pushing his hips forward, but Harry has one hand on his hips, effectively pinning him to the door. The older man is all strength and power, dominating. The thought sends a shiver up his spine. 

Eggsy tries to unbutton Harry’s shirt once again, but Harry justs pins both of his wrists above his head. He moans at the clear manhandling by Harry, and instead focuses his attention on the feel of Harry’s mouth on his. 

Harry flips the both them around and backs Eggsy up towards the bed. When his knees hit the frame, he falls. He pushes himself until his head is on the pillows, and Harry is still standing at the end of the bed, smirking at him in a way that Eggsy finds absolutely stunning. 

Very suddenly, Eggsy realizes that he has no experience with this and hadn’t ever gotten this far with any of his younger-day flings. Harry looks at him with dark eyes, and he holds up a finger before walking into the loo, returning with a condom and lube. Eggsy looks at him from under his lashes as he sits up slightly, and Harry’s eyes seem to darken and be fully dilated.

“You know, Harry, I’ve never done this before. Been waitin’ on you.” Harry makes a sound that sounds like a mix between a groan and a growl, and he tosses both items onto the bed by Eggsy’s side. 

Harry is on top of him within seconds, snogging the life out him while pulling his joggers off with his pants. Eggsy is stark naked, and Harry is still fully clothed. Something in Eggsy heats up at the idea of it. Harry still has his sleeves rolled up, and Eggsy reaches out to touch the Mark. He smiles when Harry makes a noise when he drags his finger across it. 

“What do you want, Eggsy,” Harry whispers in his ear, and Eggsy suddenly wants  _ everything.  _ He can’t exactly articulate that, though. Not when Harry is grasping his hips like that, not when the older man is still biting at his neck. He likes the way the pain mingles with the pleasure. 

“Come on, my dear boy. Tell me what you want me to do.”

Eggsy whimpers at the name, opening his mouth before closing it. “Please, ‘arry,” he whispers, not sure what he’s asking for. But it works, because soon enough Harry has his hand on his prick. His thumb spreads the pre-cum that is leaking out of the head, and Eggsy moans before canting his hips upwards. 

Harry smiles into his neck, and grabs the lube that sits by Eggsy’s side. Suddenly his other hand is gone, and the older man is sitting up looking down at Eggsy. He misses the hand as soon as it’s gone, but he knows something better is coming by the look in Harry’s eyes. The chocolate brown between swallowed by the blackness of the pupil. Eggsy shivers. 

“I’m going to fuck you open with my fingers first, my love. Is that okay?”

Eggsy nods vigorously, a shudder running through him at the words. He would gladly give up anything to hear Harry say the word _ fuck  _ like that again. The cap to the lube is popped and Eggsy really doesn’t know when his legs had opened so wide but Harry seems pleased by the open display of submission. 

Eggsy doesn’t really know what to expect. He had fingered himself countless times before, but could never reach the right spots. But now Harry is in between his legs, looking like he might just devour Eggsy is given the chance. 

“Look at me, Eggsy,” and the younger man didn’t really know when he had shut his eyes, but he opens them again. “Don’t touch yourself, or else I’ll take longer. Understand? Keep your hands up there,” Harry says teasingly, and then grasps his wrists again, placing them crossed above his head. Eggsy groans, and nods at the order. 

“Have you done this before, my dear boy?” Eggsy nods, whining when Harry’s lubed fingers circle his hole. 

Suddenly Harry is pushing a finger into Eggsy, and Eggsy really can’t help the way he cries out at the intrusion. He hasn’t done this in a while, and this is  _ Harry. Harry  _ who is his  _ soulmate.  _ Harry goes slowly, pushing the digit into him until the knuckle. It doesn’t hurt, but he isn’t use to the intrusion yet. 

When his body adjusts, Harry pulls the finger out slightly before pushing back in. He starts up a rhythm, increasing in speed as Eggsy’s body relaxes. He can’t stop moaning, and even when his eyes feel like they want to shut, he keeps them on Harry. He whines at the sight of Harry, the older man’s hair falling into his face slightly. It’s exactly what Eggsy wanted, to screw with the control that Harry always has. 

Suddenly a second finger joins the first one, a slight burn accompanying it. Harry is smirking now, and suddenly a pleasure shoots up Eggsy’s spine. He cries out, not expecting Harry to hit his prostate. But the older man doesn’t stop, hitting the spot with every individual thrust. Eggsy moans and continues to look Harry in the eyes. 

The third finger doesn’t really burn as much as the first two. He feels full, but Harry’s fingers were thicker than his own and they filled him up more. He whimpers at the thrusts that continue to hit his prostate.

“Please, ‘arry. I need you. Please. Need you, in me.” Harry groans, pumps his fingers a handful of times before pulling them out. Eggsy whines, feeling empty. He wants  _ anything  _ at this point, already knowing he’ll resort to begging if needed. 

But Harry smiles at him, picking up the condom wrapper. But Eggsy doesn’t want that, either. He doesn’t want that barrier. 

“No, wanna feel you, ‘arry, ‘m clean. Please, ‘arry.” 

Harry’s eyes seem to grow darker at this as he throws the condom down, and suddenly he is unzipping his trousers. Eggsy whispers a continuous string of pleas, looking up at Harry from under his lashes as the older man pulls down his trousers and pants enough to free his erection. Eggsy gasps at the sight of Harry. 

The older man’s hair has fell out of place, draping over his forehead. His sleeves are rolled up, forearms and Mark both exposed, and  _ holy fuck,  _ his dick is absolutely  _ beautiful.  _ Which Eggsy wants to laugh at almost, because who even calls a dick  _ beautiful?  _ But Harry’s is, long and thick and is making Eggsy salivate just looking at it. 

“Please, ‘arry, I’ve been waiting for so long. Please.” Harry smiles down at him and kisses him softly, nipping slightly at his lower lip. 

“I have too, darling. I have too. Be patient,” he says as he places one of his hands on Eggsy’s chest, spreading out his fingers as he lines himself up with Eggsy’s hole. Eggsy feels impatient, like he might implode if Harry doesn’t get in him  _ right now.  _

He hadn’t expected to ever feel this way. He never had truly wanted this with anyone else, and now there he was. Harry above him, around him, so close to being  _ in him.  _ He reaches a hand up to grasp where their Mark is on Harry’s arm, rubbing his thumb over it. 

Harry enters him slowly, and Eggsy knows theoretically it’s for the best. He’s barely had more than 3 fingers in himself, let alone anything bigger. Harry moves in at a snail’s pace, though, and Eggsy is begging now. Full out begging, not the fake sort he did when he was a rent boy, but  _ real  _ begging. He’s desperate, and he knows he should take it slow, because he’s new to this part. Had never gone past blowjobs with any of his clients, never allowed it to go that far.

When Harry is finally situated, seated fully inside of him, Eggsy lets out a moan that could rival all pornstars. Because  _ Harry Hart  _ is  _ in him.  _ Harry  _ loves him,  _ Harry  _ wants  _ him. 

“Please, ‘arry. Do somethin’.” Harry just smiles and sucks another bruise into Eggsy’s neck, biting at his collarbone. Eggsy lets out another moan, gasping when Harry finally begins to move. It’s slow, steady thrusts. Eggsy grips Harry’s shirt, one hand still on the Mark, a touchstone. 

Slowly Harry increases his speed. Eggsy knows by now he’s fully begging for more, Harry snogging him when his ramblings turn into an incomprehensible mess of words. Harry is gentle, of course, but there is something rough about the way he makes love. He’s not even panting, for christ’s sake, and yet Eggsy is a whimpering mess. 

“y’know , ‘arry, I was a gymnast, ‘m flexible.” Harry growls at this, like he has plans for the information that Eggsy can’t even imagine. 

He doesn’t expect it when Harry places his leg over his shoulder. The position drives Harry in deeper, and then the older man is hitting his prostate with force. He cries out at the sensation, and his Mark sends another wave of pleasure through him. 

“You’re doing so amazing, Eggsy. You’re such a good boy,” Eggsy shivers at the praise. “If you could see how could you look, my darling boy, if only you could see.” Eggsy moans, the words being whispered right into his ear. He hasn’t even been touched yet, really, and he’s already so close to being pushed over the edge. 

“Could you come from this, Eggsy? Just me  _ fucking  _ you,” he puts emphasis on the word fucking, like he knows how it affects Eggsy. Eggsy whimpers and nods, he’s absolutely sure he could if Harry told him to. 

“You’ll need permission, Eggsy. You’ll need to ask me to come, like a good boy.” Eggsy whines at the thought of being told when he can and can’t climax. Harry shifts their position again, somehow going even deeper into Eggsy. He groans at the new angle, Harry hitting his prostate every thrust. 

“Please, ‘arry. I’ve been s’good for you, haven’t I? Please, please, please. I’ll be so good,’ Eggsy begs, and Harry groans out a string of profanities. 

“Come for me, Eggsy,” Harry commands him as he thrusts into him, hitting his prostate, and suddenly Eggsy is coming without being touched. He knows for a fact that it’s never happened before, and he shouts out as he finally falls over the edge. Harry slows down for a bit, eyes darkening as he watches Eggsy come untouched. Eggsy is panting by the time he’s finished, and then Harry is moving again, thrusting into him at the same pace as before. 

Eggsy gasps, over sensitive but unwilling to stop. It feels good, the sharp line between pain and pleasure a fine line to ride. Eggsy whines continuously as Harry keeps fucking into him, running his finger through the come that coats Eggsy’s chest. He brings his fingers up to Eggsy’s mouth, pushing them in when Eggsy opens it. The younger man moans around the digits, tastes his own release on Harry’s thick fingers. His prick twitches, making a valiant attempt to get back in the game. Eggsy whines at the action. 

Harry smiles and kisses Eggsy on the mouth, pulling back slightly to whisper to him. “You’re doing so good for me Eggsy, always so good for me.” Eggsy whines at the continued praise, and Harry smirks. 

It doesn’t take too long for him to get hard again, which isn’t very surprising considering everything. He is a young bloke, has been sexually frustrated for weeks, and is being fucked by  _ Harry Hart, his soulmate.  _ Harry grasps his erection, “Already ready, Eggsy? Such a good boy for me. Begging for more, an absolute tart, you are.” Eggsy moans as Harry slowly strokes him off. 

Harry only increases his hands speed when Eggsy begs, which he guesses was the older man’s plan all along. To make him beg to come for a second time. Eggsy would do anything, if he’s being honest. 

Harry strokes him in time with his thrusts, fast and sloppy with all of Eggsy’s pre-cum and his release that Harry had gathered on his palm from earlier. It’s slick and making a noise that Eggsy can’t help but moan at. 

Eggsy can tell when Harry is about to come, his thrusts getting a little less coordinated. His hand goes faster around Eggsy’s cock, firm and delicious, a rhythm that makes him buck his hips up in tune. 

“Let go, Eggsy. Go ahead, come for me, my boy.” For the second time, Eggsy comes on his chest, and he clenches around Harry. 

The older man groans in Eggsy’s ear, and then he’s coming in Eggsy. Eggsy whines at it, overstimulated and incredibly hot at the idea of him being owned by Harry in this small way. He strokes Eggsy off slowly, and then releases his grip, slowly pulling out. The older man’s release drips out of him, and Eggsy moans at the sensation of being so completely marked. 

Harry kisses his forehead, saying he’ll be back shortly. Eggsy whines at the loss of heat near him, but nods as Harry walks towards the bathroom. He feels weightless, fucked-out in a way that can only be described as euphoric. 

When Harry returns, he’s carrying two cloth flannels. One is wet, the other dry. Harry says he’s going to clean him up slightly, and Eggsy notices the other man has changed his clothes. Instead of his work attire, he now wears a pair of flannel pants and a white shirt. It’s the most dressed down Eggsy has seen the man in, well, forever. It’s nice, he decides, he’s beautiful in a way that makes Eggsy warm. Harry is absolutely  _ everything _ he’s ever wanted, and seeing him now, after all this? Eggsy knows he’s in good hands. Harry would never hurt him. 

The older man gently cleans him, smiling when Eggsy whines at the touch of the cloth on his overstimulated body. He wants to sleep, his eyes blinking lazily as he focuses in on Harry. The older man wears a smile that Eggsy can only describe as looking fond. 

“S’does this mean you’re my boyfriend?” Eggsy asks him, words a bit slurred with the haze that has settled over him. 

“I think I am a little too old for the term ‘boyfriend’, darling. But I will say we’re in a relationship. If that’s what you want, of course,” he looks at Eggsy’s face as he drys him off a bit with the dry cloth. Eggsy snorts. 

“‘Arry, ‘m arse over tits in love with you. I’d be a bit mad to not wanna date you, wouldn’t I?” Harry laughs at him, “I am indeed ‘arse over tits in love with you’ as well, Eggsy.” He leans down to kiss his forehead before laying down next to the younger man. Eggsy nuzzles into Harry’s neck, smiling when Harry sighs contently

“Mum and Dais are gonna be home soon, y’know.” 

Harry nods his head as much as he can with Eggsy clinging to him, “I know.” Eggsy wonders how he’s gonna tell his mum that he’s dating Harry. He wonders  _ if  _ Harry even wants to tell his mum that they’re soulmates. He doesn’t know anything, really. Had never wanted to bring anyone home to meet his mum, not with Dean around. None of his relationships had ever gotten serious, not a single one. 

“We can tell your mother tomorrow, if you want to, Eggsy,” Harry says as he kisses the top of Eggsy’s head. The younger man breathes a sigh of relief, suddenly grateful that he didn’t need to ask any of those questions. 

“The front door is unlocked. You should go to sleep, my boy, I’m sure Michelle won’t mind if you spend the night with me.” 

Eggsy yawns, suddenly much more aware that he is tired. Harry kisses the top of his head again, humming a bit when Eggsy puts his head on his chest. It’s comfortable, and he falls asleep near instantly. 


	13. Butterflies and Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He dreams of butterflies and sunshine, and for the first time he can see Harry’s face clearly with all the love and adoration he knows is there, just like it is on his own face." 
> 
> (Eggsy and Harry are terribly in love with each other, and butterflies are a metaphor).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup folks! 
> 
> I'm posting on time today. Thursday, albeit a little later (it's around 11pm where I live, sorry for that). 
> 
> This chapter is more filler than anything because:   
> a) There has been a lot of plot recently and I'm tired and I want fluff, okay?  
> b) Bristi is on a trip and I needed to crank out something, and I liked this (sorta), she'll be back soon enough but still wanted to post for y'all!   
> c) I have been extremely stressed recently with my workload! It's better now but I just wanted to write a small chapter. It's short. Sorry. 
> 
> Anyways next chapter maybe come Tuesday and/or Thursday next week since I'll be on spring break! (yay!!!!) 
> 
> (Also, holy shit. Thank you so much for nearly 5,200 readers? You're all legends and I love you all dearly).

He wakes up to sunlight streaming through the window. There is a warmth along his back, arms wrapped around his stomach. His legs are half tangled in the sheets, and half tangled with someone else’s legs. He looks around the room, suddenly recognizing his surroundings. He’s in  _ Harry’s bed,  _ because  _ Harry Hart is his soulmate.  _

He has a split second of thinking it’s all a dream, a cruel one at that, before Harry wakes up. Eggsy turns around in the older mans arms and is greeted by a chaste kiss on the lips before Harry is letting go and getting up. 

“Good morning, my dear boy,” Harry says, and Eggsy knows that this is not a dream.  _ He’s _ in  _ Harry’s _ bed, and  _ Harry  _ just  _ kissed him.  _ He blushes and offers a muttered greeting back. He thinks perhaps they should talk about it all, because sure soulmarks mean something to most people, but what if it doesn’t really mean anything other than sex to Harry? 

This thought is immediately thrown out when Harry looks over his shoulder at him as he is gathering his clothes for work. His hair is curly, and at that particular moment, he looked softer. He has the same look that Eggsy has when he looks at Harry. Eyes soft and a smile playing on his lips. It makes Eggsy feel warm as he sits in Harry’s bed, blushing without restraint. 

He realizes very suddenly that he has work later, and on top of that he still needs to tell both Roxy and his mum that Harry is his soulmate. For a second he feels like it still might be a dream, and telling them and then waking up might be a final twist of cruelty. He shakes his head at the thoughts. 

“I’m going to take a shower, you need to go get your clothes so you can too. You smell of sex.” Eggsy blushes at Harry’s bluntness, and the coupling smirk that accompanies it, but rises out of bed to grab some clothes from the guest room. 

Even at this hour, his mother is up, which is likely attributed to Daisy. The kid never sleeps in late, and Eggsy guesses it’s the same way he was as a kid. He always had something to get in to, somewhere to run, someone to play with. She’s just like him in that way, he thinks. 

He grabs his pants and a towel from the guest loo. He doesn’t need clothes, not really. Not like he has work yet. He heads back to Harry’s room, stepping into the bathroom. 

The shower is running, and asks Harry if he can join. He smirks when Harry says yes, and when he steps in Harry is smiling at him, hair in his face. It’s wet and curly, and Harry wants to run his hands through it. It takes him a moment to realize that he actually can, and he pulls Harry down into a kiss with a tug at the curls. 

It doesn’t move from that, though, because Eggsy knows the older man has work soon. He can’t blame himself when he keeps running his hands through Harry’s hair. It may take a bit longer to shower with both of them together, but eventually it gets done. 

Harry hands him a towel with a chaste kiss, and brushes his teeth next to Eggsy looking at the mirror. It’s almost sickeningly domestic, and Eggsy knows that it’s what he’s always wanted. He looks over at Harry and smiles with the toothbrush in his mouth, and Harry’s eyes soften at him. 

Harry tugs him into the bedroom, giving him some of the clothes in his dresser. An old sweatshirt, faded and comfortable, and a pair of well-worn joggers. Eggsy smiles at the older man, and quickly puts them on. They smell like Harry, he notices, and he likes how the scent mixes from him. He smells like Harry too, he guesses, since he’s used his products. 

He likes that, he thinks, as he watches Harry gets dressed. He’s fascinated by it, the way Harry looks as he dressed himself. It’s beautiful, especially the way Harry’s hands wrap around his tie. He blushes when he realizes that he’s slightly turned on, which to be fair isn’t all that odd. Harry’s absolutely sinful, fit as ever, and absolutely perfect in most ways. 

He shakes his head, and runs a hand through his own hair, watching as Harry ties his tie. He looks stunning in that suit, a navy color that makes Eggsy’s mouth water. He knows he’s ruined for anyone else now, will never look at anyone in the same way he does Harry. He’s in love. 

\---

His mum is actually not home, he discovers when he walks downstairs. She left a note on the counter, saying that she would be back soon. Something about shopping for something. He sighs, and Harry comes down the stairs seconds later. He smiles at the older man, receiving one back. He starts to cook breakfast as Harry puts on his shoes. It’s something of a domestic scene, the two of them. Harry getting ready for work, him cooking. 

He ends up just making tea, toast, and fruit for him and Harry. It’s simple, and Harry’s in a rush. He smiles when Harry gives him a soft grin, spreading jam on his toast and giving Eggsy a kiss. He tastes like strawberry jam and tea. It’s nice, Eggsy decides. 

His mum returns seconds before Harry is about to walk through the door. Eggsy can’t identify the exact emotion that crosses her face when he sees them, so he focuses on Daisy, who excitedly begs for fruit despite his mum telling him she just ate not too long ago. 

He doesn’t mind giving her some of his own fruit, and Harry smiles at him. His mum goes upstairs to set down the bags she carries, and Daisy practically hops into Harry’s arms as soon as she is gone. It’s a sight to see, Eggsy thinks while Harry hums to his baby sister as they stand eating fruit. 

He kisses Harry as he turns around to face him, Daisy facing the opposite way. Harry smiles slightly and turns Daisy around, allowing Eggsy to kiss her forehead. 

“I’m going to leave now, my love. We’re still on for lunch, correct?” Daisy giggles in Harry’s arms as the older man pokes her sides. 

“Yeah, Haz. ‘Course.” 

He kisses Eggsy again and hands off Daisy to him, grabbing his briefcase and umbrella before waving and walking outside. Eggsy wants to follow, almost. Sit in Harry’s office with the older man until he has work. He knows, realistically, he would just distract Harry. But he still has the instinct to go regardless. His Mark thrums, and Eggsy smiles at it. He almost wants to laugh at himself. 

Daisy squirms in his arms and smiles up at him, and then his mum comes back from upstairs. She smiles at him, looking at his arm. He knows she’s looking at his Mark, but he doesn’t want to tell her about Harry until the older man is back, just to tell her with him. 

He instead chooses to kiss her and Daisy on the forehead, retreating upstairs to lay down for a bit before work. He had had a long night. 

\---

Harry finishes the rest of Michelle’s case before lunch. It’s easy, Dean Baker has so much on him that Harry could have done it in his sleep. He smiles at the thought of putting the prick in jail. He doesn’t have anything else to do until after lunch. 

He takes a picture of the view from his office, sending it to Eggsy. He knows the younger man is probably still in bed, or at the most getting dressed for work. 

_ I think you’ll like this photograph. It reminded me of you, my boy.  _

He gets a near instant reply. Which is just what has to be fifteen heart emojis and a smiley face. He smiles at his phone like a schoolboy in love, and grins wider when Eggsy sends himself in Harry’s clothes in front of the view from his own bedroom. It’s a sight, for sure, and Harry finds himself wishing to be with the younger man. His Mark hums with longing. He rubs it from on top of his suit jacket. 

\---

When Eggsy arrives at work, minutes before lunch, Roxy is waiting for him with a smile and a cup of coffee. He realizes immediately that he still hasn’t told her about him and Harry. Merlin is talking with her, and Eggsy realizes that the older man probably hasn’t been told either. He’ll tell Roxy, and he’ll wait for Harry to tell Merlin himself. 

When he walks over and grabs his cup, he smiles at both Roxy and Merlin. The older man smiles back, or what Eggsy assumes is his smile, and gives Roxy a kiss before disappearing off in the back. He smirks at Roxy, teasing, before she shoves him. 

“Gotta tell ya’ somethin’,” he says after he takes a sip of his coffee. Roxy raises an eyebrow, sitting on the stool behind the counter. 

“I… uh… Harry is my soulmate,” he stutters out, suddenly realizes that it all  _ actually  _ happened. Roxy’s instantly transforms into one of the most happy and smug combinations he has ever seen. She almost looks like she’ll say ‘I told you so’ any minute now, and Eggsy raises his eyebrow at her. 

“Duh! Dork. You’ve been in love with him since you saw him. It was painfully obvious, too. You look at him like he’s hung the stairs, Cinderella.” 

Eggsy shoves her arm, blushing. He has  _ not  _ looked like a schoolgirl around Harry.  _ I looked manly, maybe a little in love, but it couldn’t have been that obvious,  _ he thinks. 

“You aren’t surprised at all, Rox? Not at all?” 

Roxy shakes her head, still looking too smug for his liking. He’s glad when Harry walks through the door, there to take him to lunch. She smiles sweetly, nearly deviously, at the older man. 

“Good morning, Mr. Hart. How are you doing today?”  Harry looks suspiciously towards Eggsy, who only blushes and looks down at the floor, and tells her that he’s been amazing.  Roxy seems to smile even wider at this. “I’ll bet,” and then she yells in the back for Merlin, who appears not seconds later like a ghost.

Harry asks for a bit in the office, to talk, before leading Merlin to the room. Eggsy waits for a while, talking with Roxy, who still looks smugly at him. 

Harry and Merlin both return a bit later, Merlin looking just as smug as Roxy does. Harry glares at the other man before smiling at Eggsy. The other couple seems to become even more satisfied at this. Eggsy flips them both the bird before grabbing Harry’s hand and dragging him out the shop. He forgets his coffee, but he can’t go get it now. 

Harry doesn’t let go of his hand, either. It’s something of a revelation the way their hands fit together, too. Harry’s is larger than his own, calloused but soft. He likes the way they contrast, and he smiles down at their linked hands. 

The walk takes a bit longer, but he doesn’t mind when Harry’s hand is in his own. He smiles the whole way there like a fool, people looking at him slightly funny, but he doesn’t mind. Harry smiles over at him occasionally, murmuring some endearment in between his words and stories. 

When they arrive, still hand-in-hand, Marcie smiles at them from behind the counter. They’re back at the first shop, deciding to go back to the roots. She looks down at their linked hands and smiles even wider. Eggsy blushes but smiles back, and Harry’s lips upturn slightly. 

Lunch goes the same as it always does. Harry orders his meal, they talk about work and Daisy and everything in between. Except now Harry holds his hand on the table, and calls him little endearments that makes Eggsy blush. Harry seems to make a game of it, too. Seeing how many times he can make him blush in a set of time. 

By the time lunch ends, Eggsy is sure he’s spent the entire time blushing. Harry smiles at him as he pays and offers an arm to Eggsy. Eggsy shakes his head but links them by their elbows, Harry guiding him for a time before taking the arm to place a hand at the small of his back as they get closer to the shop. Eggsy likes it there, a subtle reminder. 

When they walk in the shop, Merlin and Roxy are focused on Merlin’s tablet, Roxy standing in Merlin’s arms in a sorta hug position. It’s adorable, and Eggsy whistles at them. Roxy and Merlin simultaneously glare at him, before smiling sweetly when they see Harry’s hand at the small of his back still. Eggsy glares at them this time. 

Harry gives him a kiss and tells him that he’ll see Eggsy later. Eggsy nods and smiles, waving as Harry walks out. Merlin smirks at him before walking to his office, murmuring something in Roxy’s ear before he leaves. 

“So… Harry, huh?” 

Eggsy smacks her arm and flips her off, sitting on the stool behind the counter. 

\---

When they’re both home and changed, with Eggsy wearing Harry’s clothes, they decide to tell his mum. It’s not scary, not really. His mum is aces with him dating blokes, and she loves Harry nearly as much as Daisy does. But it’s official, and Eggsy’s never had official. No one has ever really stayed. He had always waited for his Mark, and now that he finally has it he’s scared he might fuck it up. 

So they wait until the food is ordered. They’re eating in the sitting room, Daisy on the floor with her dinosaur plushie. His mum sits in the single seat, he and Harry sitting next to each other on the large couch. 

“Mum… I, uh. I got some news.” She nods at him, glancing away from the telly to look at him. 

“Me and Harry are kinda… soulmates.” 

He’s not even surprised that she doesn’t looked surprised. Because  _ of course she knew.  _ Eggsy seemingly was the last to know that Harry was his soulmate. 

“I know, dear. Are you done with your food, then?” 

Eggsy wants to ask how she knew, or when she knew, but he just nods and lets her take his bowl. She takes Harry’s too when the older man is done. 

Eggsy leans on Harry’s shoulder, looking up at him. The older man smiles and kisses the top of his head. Eggsy blushes and smiles at him. 

“Everyone knew before we did. Sure thick, we were,” he tells the older man.  Harry just smiles at him, letting out a chuckle. Daisy looks back at them, smiling in a way that reminds him of Roxy earlier. 

“Does this mean you can marry him now, ‘Arry?” Eggsy splutters, and blushes a deep pink as Daisy tilts her head at the older man. He looks up at Harry, who is smiling at her. 

“Yes. I think I will. Do you think I’ll be a prince then too?” 

Daisy smiles wider at him before nodding furiously, climbing onto Harry's lap and starting to explain how they’ll both be princes and she can be the princess, and mum can be the queen. She also says the dinosaur is the dragon, since she doesn’t have a dragon. 

They smile at each other, Eggsy leaning back over to place his head on Harry’s shoulder from where he had shot up earlier at Daisy’s statement. He nods along as Daisy explains their royal family dynamic, happily going on about her dinosaur-dragon and the idea of having a knight-prince in the kingdom in the form of one Harry Hart. 

He smiles at the idea of Harry being a part of their family.  _ I’m gonna marry him one day,  _ he thinks, smiling as he falls asleep. 

He dreams of butterflies and sunshine, and for the first time he can see Harry’s face clearly with all the love and adoration he knows is there, just like it is on his own face. 


	14. The End of the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The day of his mum’s trial, Eggsy knows for a fact it is the end and beginning of something all at once. The chapter of his life with Dean Baker will end, and the rest of his life will begin."
> 
> (The trial finally happens, and Daisy has a tea party).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup, y'all. Sorry I didn't post last week but a lot was happening also I wait until very late to even attempt writing because I was indecisive and also tired. It was spring break for me, and I just slept and played PS4 (worth it, but sorry still!). It's incredibly late as well, 11:19 PM currently, which is cutting it a little close, sorry. (Also a forewarning: I know nothing about law. Absolutely nothing). 
> 
> Thank you all for 5600+ hits! You're all amazing! It's nearly unbelievable this many people have read my work. Still adjusting to actually realizing I'm writing for an audience. 
> 
> Thanks to Bristi (who is a complete legend for putting up with my schedule). 
> 
> Also, I'm going to be posting on Tuesday (occasionally) and/or Friday/Saturday now since it will be much easier on me with my schedule since i usually do homework on Sunday instead of weekdays. Sorry for the switching I constantly do. 
> 
> (Btw the title is a suggestion of Bristi, it's a quote from TGC!

The day of his mum’s trial, Eggsy knows for a fact it is the end and beginning of something all at once. The chapter of his life with Dean Baker will end, and the rest of his life will begin. He has good things going for him. He has the love of his life, he’s gonna rent a flat soon enough, he has money. He’s doing amazing, in fact, he thinks as Harry lazily kisses the top of his head while he gets out of bed.

He watches as Harry smiles and moves into the loo to take a shower, same morning routine as always. It’s nice, and Eggsy likes having the consistency he never had growing up. Everything was always changing in the estates. Everything changed a little too quickly.

But Harry has became a constant he never would have dreamed of having.

He had took the day off of work, and Jamal and Ryan were coming over later to babysit Daisy for the day. His mum had even bought some professional clothes that she had never needed when they lived in their old flat.

He stays in bed a bit longer before rolling out of bed himself. He no longer sleeps on the couch, luckily. He spends his nights in Harry’s arms, and he wouldn’t change it for the world. He likes that his clothes now hang next to Harry’s. He walks into the loo, Harry sticking his head out of the shower to beckon him in with an innocent smile. He’s weak for that smile, he’s since learned. He always knew that in some way, though, of course.

It takes them only slightly longer to get ready that morning, and they smile as they descend the stairs together, Daisy sitting at the table as his mum hums in the kitchen. She’s in a good mood, he knows, when he hears the muffled country song he can’t remember the name of floating from the kitchen to the sitting room. Something about roads or home, he thinks. He sits next to Harry, legs brushing as he grabs the older man’s hand.

He doesn’t really have anywhere to be for a bit until the case is brought into the court, so he’s put on some joggers and a shirt that is definitely Harry’s. It’s comfortable, and too big for him. He loves it.

Michelle calls them both when the breakfast is ready, with some elaborate meal set on the table as she continues to hum the tune from earlier. Daisy tries to hum along, only succeeding in making a screeching noise that makes them all laugh.

Harry sits next to him, and Eggsy tries his best to ignore the instinct to just touch the older man. That would be weird, he decides. But it still feels like some sort of dream, if he’s honest. Harry Hart could only be his in some freakish dream. He knows, theoretically, that it’s not a dream but he’s only soothed when Harry smiles at him over the rim of his cup.

Daisy tells them about the things she plans to do with his mates while they’re at court, something about a tea party, and they all smile and nod indulgently with her. Because who could ever resist her?

Harry kisses Eggsy on the forehead as he walks out the door, a murmured promise of having lunch before the trial. Eggsy smiles as he waves the older man to the cab, returning to the kitchen to find his mother still humming, a smile playing on her lips.

She’s happier than she’s been since his da had died, he notices. It’s been so long since he had seen that smile. He almost wants to send a prayer to some higher being to thank them. But then again, this is all Harry. Harry is the one who is finally making sure that Dean can never get to them again, he’s the one who is making sure Eggsy and his family have a home.

He smiles as he thinks about it all, helping his mum wash the dishes as Daisy goes on about her plans later. She’s now talking about playing dinosaurs, which basically just means that Jamal and Ryan will walk around the house stomping and roaring. It amuses Daisy to no end, and when the fake-dinosaurs attack her she nearly keels over with laughter.

He returns to Harry’s room after he helps clean up. Technically it’s their room now. His clothes hang in the wardrobe, his favorite shampoo sits in the shower. It’s theirs. He gathers his best suit for the day, a perk of working at the shop, and goes to shower.

He spends extra time with this hair, especially considering the occasion. Usually he wouldn’t, but today he models it after Harry’s. He looks at his reflection in the mirror in the wardrobe. He smiles at how different he looks from when he was 18. He’s a new person, a new Eggsy. He chuckles to himself and sits on the bed, replying to a text from Roxy. Something about dinner plans with the everyone to celebrate the trial, since she just knows it will go in their favor.

Eggsy confirms, planning to ask Harry and his mum about it later. He’ll invite Jamal and Ryan before the trial. He returns downstairs when he finishes the last text to Roxy.

His mum is sitting on the floor with Daisy in her posh new dress. Dais is drawing something, pausing only to smile up at his mum. She had lost a tooth not too long ago, and now her smile had a few gaps. She’s radiant, both of them are. Smiles come so much more easy when Dean isn’t there to crush every shred of happiness like a butterfly in his palm.

He smiles at them both as he sits on the couch, asking if he can change the channel for the telly. Daisy isn’t watching whatever cartoons are on, and he’d much rather watch his favorite show if he can before they leave.

He gets bored quickly, regardless of if it’s his favorite, and takes to texting Harry. The older man is probably just settling in, but he’s bored and he misses Harry. It’s not his fault, he reasons with himself.

Harry texts back near instantly. Eggsy smiles and snaps a selfie of himself, knowing he looks similar to Harry with his posh suit and parted hair. He sends it with a heat emoji, smiling at his accomplishment. He looks good, he decides.

You look delectable, my dear boy.

Eggsy shivers at the praise, blushing even with Harry so far away. His mother looks back at him, and he quickly straightens his face out. He rather not have his mum see how affected he is by a simple compliment by the older man.

He goes on YouTube soon enough on his phone because Harry has a bit of work to do before the trial, and he doesn’t want to bother the older man. He falls asleep to the sound of Daisy laughing as his mum tickles her. For once, he feels totally free.

\---

He wakes up just in time for lunch. Andy is waiting for him outside, and he quickly fixes his hair back into position before he rushes outside, waving goodbye to his mum and Daisy. Andy smiles at him in the mirror before taking off. He isn’t quite sure which place they’re going to today, Harry hadn’t told him but apparently had told Andy. He avoids small talk, not used to talking to Andy without Harry. Instead he texts Roxy, teasing her about Merlin. The older man had recently came into work with a hickey on his neck, and both he and Rox had blushed so red Eggsy thought they might faint from the rush of blood.

The car comes to a stop in front of somewhere new, surprisingly. Harry is the one who opens the door for him, smiling and greeting both him and Andy. The driver says a hasty greeting before driving off, and Harry offers Eggsy his hand as they stand on the pavement. He takes it.

The restaurant is nice, not too expensive but comfortable. It’s a place to take a date, and Eggsy decides to ignore the parallels between this place and the last place they went on a ‘date’ in. He shakes the thoughts off, and Harry smiles at the hostess, immediately being led to a small booth in the back. It’s nice, candles in the center of the small table. There’s wine waiting for them, and Eggsy knows that Harry probably planned this out. He wonders for what, but doesn’t comment on his confusion.

It must show on his face regardless, because as Harry pulls out his chair and allows him to sit the older man speaks up. “It’s a date, a real one. To make up for the previous one, since you’re my boyfriend,” he says this part as a joke, and Eggsy laughs, “this time.”

Eggsy smiles and blushes, grateful for the darker lighting in the restaurant. He had asked the older man earlier about the group dinner, receiving a yes, so he focuses on the way Harry smiles at him instead of planning.

“I was planning to take you later tonight, a celebration of sorts,” Harry pauses in his words, “but this is the next best thing. I’ll make it up to you later.” Eggsy blushes at the promise, and smiles.

The conversation is not awkward like last time they were on what could be considered a date, and Eggsy smiles at their development. It’s almost comical the way he blushes the entire conversation as well. He’ll blame Harry, of course. The older man compliments him so much Eggsy fears he’ll never get rid of the constant blush. He can’t help but like the way the attention feels regardless.

\---

The only reason Eggsy testifies is because of Harry. He doesn’t grass people up, some sort of plebian moral code or something, but he just doesn’t. But to put Dean away? He’ll do anything for that. He’s surprised his mum agreed to testify. So many years under the Dean was sure to affect something in her regards to him. It had to. Eggsy tries not to think about it. He hates the prick with every fiber of his being, and that won’t ever change.

Harry kisses him before they enter the court, and Eggsy feels a surge of strength. Being around Harry must have that effect on him, Eggsy thinks wryly.

He can’t shake the feeling of being in awe at Harry while the older man storms through the courtroom like a hurricane. He tears down down arguments of Dean’s defense so quick Eggsy nearly has whiplash. He finds the older man beautiful like this, he thinks as Harry is talking adamantly to a witness, doing something with passion. Because Harry is that, passionate.

The evidence is stacked against Dean, and Eggsy gets a sense of satisfaction when he goes to take the stand. It’s comical the way Dean looks like he would murder Eggsy, the prick can’t do anything with the handcuffs. Harry presents the evidence, Eggsy is questioned. His mum goes up after him, and she sniffles and sobs her way through it. Eggsy takes her hand as she steps back to the chairs, and she gives him a watery smile.

Harry continues strong, and Eggsy gives him a nod when the older man looks over at them.

Mostly, Eggsy just wants this chapter of his life to be over, and the next chapter with Harry to begin.

\---

They win in the end. Eggsy lets out a sigh of relief as the judge speaks the final words, and the law enforcement drags Dean away. His mum, sitting in silence beside him, breaks down into hiccuping sobs. He sits back next to her, pulling her into a hug. Harry is talking to the judge, and Eggsy feels free. Dean Baker will never be in their life again. They’re finally free of the years of torture they were subject to. His mum shakily stands up, and they walk out the room, together.

It feels like a final weight is lifted. In a way, that’s entirely accurate. No longer would Eggsy have to step between his mum and a fist, no longer would she have bruises marking her skin. Eggsy would no longer live in fear that maybe one day he’d need to step between Daisy and a fist.

He smiles as he waits in the cab for Harry to return. The older man will need to report back to his office for a bit, and then they’re free for dinner.

He texts Roxy the news, and remembers his mum’s smile. She had looked radiant as the cab Harry had called had driven off, even with the smeared makeup from the tears. The smile from earlier had returned, and he thinks that he’ll be seeing it a lot more now that Dean is out of their lives.

When Harry climbs into the cab, Eggsy pulls the older man into a hug. He leans back to kiss him, smiling when Harry reciprocates. He’s so happy. His burdens are gone, a butterfly transforming and spreading its wings for the first time.

He murmurs a thanks into Harry’s neck when he turns his head, and Harry kisses his hair before smiling. Andy starts driving, and Eggsy is suddenly incredibly tired. The trial had took forever, and though it’s not quite dinner time he won’t have enough time for a short sleep. He needs to change first, and then it’s off to the celebratory dinner.

When they walk into the house, they’re greeted by Jamal. He’s wearing a tiara, one of the plastic ones that look uncomfortable to put on the head of an adult. He’s smiling though, and when he closes the door he ushers him and Harry into the living room.

Ryan is sitting on the floor with his mum, who has changed, and Daisy. They’re in a semi-circle. There is a kettle and four cups, assumingly a sort of tea party. Eggsy refrains from laughing at the sight of Ryan, who glares at him and tells him Jamal took the tiara, in a tutu. Harry’s lips are quirked, like he’s trying to stop himself from laughing as well.

He had told them both about Harry and him a while ago, now. He’s slightly scared that they may just give Harry the shovel-talk. So far they haven’t, but now they’re in person and not over some video chat. Harry excuses them, and they disappear upstairs to change into something more comfortable for later. Harry kisses him softly as they walk out of the room, and Eggsy smiles at him.

The tea party has continued in their absence. His mum smiles at him as he and Harry make to sit in the circle, Jamal and Ryan moving closer in order to fit them in. It’s comical the way 5 adults are sipping fake tea out of a plastic tea set. Eggsy smiles as Dais pours him a cup.

They don’t have too much time before they need to go, but for now they indulge Daisy, who is giddy with being the host of a tea party. She smiles as she arranges her toys, and pours them a cuppa too. It’s adorable, and everyone is still smiling at her like she’s hung the stars. He guesses in a way she does, everyone seems to brighten around her at least.

Eventually, though, it’s time to go to dinner. Roxy and Merlin had made the reservations, and they said they’d meet them all there. His mum dresses Daisy before they leave in her sundress that Harry had bought her. It’s still warm from earlier, but his mum also makes her put on leggings and a coat, just in case.

Jamal takes off his tiara, and Ryan mumbles something about just keeping the tutu before taking it off. They end up taking two cabs, Daisy rides with him and Harry, and his mum rides with Jamal and Ryan. She says she doesn’t mind the company, and smiles at Eggsy as they leave.

He looks over at Harry in the cab, Daisy holding her dinosaur plushie and Harry humming a cartoon theme song with her. He smiles, and disbelief creeps into his head. He can’t believe this is what his life is now.

God, I can’t wait to start the rest of my life with him, he thinks as continues staring at the scene in front of him.

Daisy turns to him, excitedly telling him to sing with them. So he does, and he smiles so wide his cheeks hurt when Harry smiles softly at him.

Everything has fallen into place, and he chuckles as he tickles Daisy when she laughs at his singing. This is my life now, he thinks, and he nearly tears up with happiness.

 


	15. Live in my House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He almost couldn’t believe it when he found Eggsy. He didn’t expect the younger man. Of course, who could? Eggsy was something of a surprise in all aspects. He was the sort of person everyone hoped they would fall in love with. It was the first time he had ever even hoped that someone was his soulmate."
> 
> (The trial is over, and everyone thinks about the past and future).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup, y'all. 
> 
> This chapter is coming a bit late (by a bit late I mean somewhere near 4 hours). It's all my fault. This specific chapter is not beta'd. Bristi is busy for the weekend, and I didn't have the chapter done in time, which is again my fault. 
> 
> I've been terribly stressed this week, and I was really trying to focus on my school work since that was the main thing I was stressed about. Friday, after I returned home from school, I genuinely went to sleep at 6pm and woke up the next day at 7am (which was incredibly confusing since I set an alarm but I haven't slept this week so it helped a lot with the stress of the week). I didn't really have the time I wanted to to write this chapter how I wanted so I'll try to make up for it next chapter!
> 
> So I'm really sorry about any mistakes make, as well as my not-so-on-schedule posting! I will try not to make it a habit for the last few chapters of this story! I also think that my schedule will be more Friday/Saturday, since it is easier for me.
> 
> Also thank you all so much for 5900 hits! You're all literal legends.

Merlin and Roxy are sitting at a table near a window at the restaurant they had planned to eat at for the celebration dinner. It’s posher than Eggsy would usually go to, but he decides that the occasion warrants the expensive menu. It’s beautiful, as well, the staff are all kind and don’t look down on him, which is new for these formal places. 

Roxy had met his mum countless time over the years, and she loved Rox like a daughter. When they spotted the group, both Merlin and Roxy stood and smiled. They had sat together, of course, talking quietly and closely. They seem content, and Eggsy smiles back as they walk towards the table. Roxy excitedly hugs him first, and then hugs his mum. She leans down next to kiss Daisy on the forehead, who is holding one of her dinosaur toys and holding Eggsy’s hand. She demands to be picked up next by Roxy, though, and she picks her up and spins her happily. It’s a scene, for certain, and Merlin stands behind his soulmate with a soft smile on his face that reminds Eggsy of how he looks at Harry. After Roxy sets Daisy back down, she waves to Jamal and Ryan before introducing Merlin to Michelle. 

Michelle smiles at Merlin, receiving a smile back before stepping out of the way so Ryan and Jamal can be introduced. Eggsy does it this time, and Merlin shakes hands with both of them and nods. Harry lets go of Eggsy’s hand briefly to clap Merlin on the back, reclaiming it once they all start to walk towards the table they’re sat at. 

Daisy tugs at Merlin’s trousers leg as they walk, and the older man bends down to her level. She holds out her hand, imitating Ryan and Jamal, telling him, “‘m Daisy.” Merlin grins widely at this, shaking her small hand and telling her his own name. Daisy smiles at being treated like an adult before she grasps his hand, demanding when they arrive at the table to be seated next to Roxy and Merlin. His mum smiles at her daughter, but agrees. Daisy, though, also demands to sit next to Eggsy and Harry. She ends up sitting in the middle of one side, Harry and Merlin on her side with Eggsy and Roxy at their sides. 

It’s an arrangement that pleases Eggsy regardless, because Harry’s hand still rests in his own. Occasionally the older man will stroke his thumb over Eggsy’s fingers, and he smiles down at their intertwined hands like a fool. Roxy smirks over at him from the rounded table they’re sitting at, and Eggsy still doesn’t mind the lovesick expression he wears. 

He’s still hyped, somehow, even after the early morning and exhaustion. They order their food, Daisy excitedly yelling for nuggets. Merlin, who sits smiling down at Daisy and making voices for her plush dinosaur, seems to make quick mates with Ryan and Jamal, even his mum seems charmed with the older man. Merlin smiles only at Daisy and Roxy, though, reserved for them only. Harry gets glares and occasion lip twitches, and Eggsy usually just gets a raised eyebrow. But Jamal, Ryan, and his mum still seem charmed by the older man’s dry sense of humour. It’s easy to like Merlin, Eggsy decides, he’s the sort of bloke that’s easy to like. 

They eat slowly, the adrenaline wearing off. They talk, and joke, and the atmosphere around the table is ecstatic. 

Eggsy also doesn’t quite mean to get tipsy off the slightly posh champagne they’ve got by the bottle. He doesn’t quite know who’s paying, but he feels bad for the amount he’s drank by now. The only ones who don’t drink is Michelle, Harry, and Merlin. Which is fine. Harry doesn’t have work in the morning, and neither does Eggsy. Which is partly why he’s tipsy by now. Ryan and Jamal cite some party as their excuse to leave, promising a visit soon and saying their goodbyes to everyone in the group. 

Roxy sits close to Merlin, hanging off him slightly. She’s got a lower tolerance for alcohol than he does. She also doesn’t back down from a challenge, and so she’s drank the same amount as him. It’s almost funny to watch, but he knows he’s doing the near exact same thing with Harry. 

His mum sits on the other side of the table. She looks happy, glowing even. Like a weight has finally been lifted off her chest. He realizes that in a way it has, that everything is so much lighter with Dean gone. Daisy sits on Merlin’s lap, Roxy playing with her hair. It’s a sight to see, surely. Eggsy smiles at it all, finally free from the idea of Dean Baker. 

\---

Daisy falls asleep on the ride home, curled in Harry’s lap. They had all said their goodbyes, Michelle had left some time earlier in search of sleep. She was exhausted, glowing but exhausted nonetheless. Hell, even Harry was exhausted, the constant work on the trial would finally stop, but the adrenaline of the win had finally wore off. He was left with a touchy Eggsy, and his exhaustion. He smiles at his soulmate as Eggsy dozes off on his shoulder. There was a point in his life where he never thought he would have a soulmate. He had never fell in love with anyone, and there was of course a time where he thought that Merlin might be the one, but no one had ever came. Merlin turned into one of his best, and oldest, friends. He had passing fancies for men who came and went, too. But nothing concrete. Which was fine, he had work. 

He almost couldn’t believe it when he found Eggsy. He didn’t expect the younger man. Of course, who could? Eggsy was something of a surprise in all aspects. He was the sort of person everyone hoped they would fall in love with. It was the first time he had ever even hoped that someone was his soulmate. Eggsy was the first person he was ever in love with. Harry had lived a long life thus far, and Eggsy was the only one, even before he _knew,_ that he had ever wished was his soulmate. There was a period where he thought he knew for sure that it _wasn’t_ Eggsy, that the younger man _couldn’t_ _possibly love him._

He shakes his head as Eggsy mutters something in his sleep, and Daisy wiggles a little on his lap where she sleeps as well. It’s terribly domestic, and he can’t help but smile once again. 

They make it home sooner or later, and he shakes the siblings softly from sleep. Daisy rubs her eyes in the same manner Eggsy does, and Harry picks her up to prevent her from falling. While he is still concerned for Eggsy, who wobbles slightly as he gets out the cab, he also knows that he can hold the younger man soon enough. 

He unlocks the door with Daisy in his arms, who is already asleep again despite just being woken up. He leaves her alone, and Eggsy leans against the doorframe as he waits. Harry ushers the younger man in, and Michelle greets them at the door with a tired smile. She takes Daisy from his arms, saying a muttered goodnight as she carries Daisy up the stairs. Harry turns to Eggsy, who now leans against the wall instead of the doorway. He smiles at his soulmate, and Eggsy gives a tired smile back. Harry takes off his own jacket and Oxfords, making sure Eggsy gets his own off before leading them both upstairs to their room. 

Eggsy flops onto the bed as soon as he enters the room, and Harry almost doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he needs to change before they sleep. He pulls out the clothes that Eggsy usually wears to sleep, just a pair of sweatpants really, and places them beside the younger man. 

Harry shakes Eggsy’s shoulders slightly, but only receives a grunt in response. He chuckles a bit, and shakes his soulmate again. 

“Eggsy, darling, you need to change. Do you think you can do that for me?”  Eggsy turns over slightly and shakes his head. Harry smiles at the sight of the love of his life pouting on their bed, refusing to change his clothes from the day. It’s terribly endearing, even if Eggsy doesn’t mean to be. 

“Okay. Do you think you can help me out then, so that I can change you?” This time Eggsy gives a nod. Harry runs a hand through Eggsy’s hair, whispering a ‘good boy’ for the younger man. 

Eggsy lays on the bed, moving only when Harry asks him. It’s an incredibly intimate thing to do, Harry thinks as he pulls on Eggsy’s fleece bottoms, changing someone. 

It takes a while, but he eventually pulls on all of Eggsy’s nightwear. He looks ruffled, his hair tousled from the day. He pulls the duvet over Eggsy, kissing his forehead as he heads to the loo to get ready for bed. Harry smiles as he changes out of his own clothes. 

Dean Baker is out of Michelle’s life, out of Eggsy’s life. Out of Daisy’s life as well. They will never worry about the prick again in their lives, and Harry thanks whatever deities there are that he won their case. They needed this. 

He heads back to bed when he is done. Eggsy is still there, snoring slightly in his sleep. He looks beautiful, radiant as always. He smiles as he settles into the bed, and Eggsy instantly gravitates towards him. 

With the quiet of the room, the added heat of Eggsy beside him, and the adrenaline wearing off, he quickly dozes off. His dreams are full of himself and Eggsy. He will never remember it, but it’s beautiful while it lasts.

\---

When he wakes up, Eggsy feels at peace. He doesn’t have a hangover by some miracle. He hadn’t actually got that drunk the night before, but he’s still grateful that it’s Saturday and he doesn’t have work. He’s even more grateful that Harry doesn’t either. 

He opens his eyes to sunlight streaming through the window, reaching his arm over only to touch the bed instead of Harry. He looks over to the clock on the nightstand, reading it quickly to show it’s a little before nine. He doesn’t mind, and he gets up and quickly brushes his teeth and runs his hands through his hair in an attempt to fix it. He is limitedly successful, but he decides it works well enough for the lounging around he knows he’ll do today. 

He walks downstairs to find Harry sitting at the table, cup in hand as he sips his tea. When Eggsy walks in, though, he looks up from the paper he’s reading and smiles warmly. His mum isn’t awake yet, neither is Daisy probably. The both of them were tired last night, and they deserve the sleep. Harry points to a cup of tea that is still steaming when Eggsy begins to look around to make himself some, and then to the breakfast he cooked. 

It’s incredibly thoughtful on Harry’s part, and he smiles as he sits and starts eating. It’s delicious, as always. 

He smiles at the older man as he eats, content with the silences as he finishes his breakfast. It’s domestic, and Eggsy can’t help but feel incredible. They won, and he has Harry. He has it all, for the first time in his life. He has everything that he wants. Except maybe a Ferrari, but he guesses that he doesn’t  _ actually  _ want that other than for the useful bragging rights it would give him. 

He shakes his head at his own musings, pulling out his phone to ask Roxy how she’s dealing with her hangover. He knows she’s never handled alcohol that well, tolerance far lower than it probably should be with her age. She barely drinks, so Eggsy doesn’t tease her about her being a lightweight too much. Merlin, he knows, usually goes in most mornings to help manage the shop. He guesses that the older man won’t today, and he chuckles to himself. 

He looks up as his mum and Daisy walk in, both looking tired. He gets up to make his mum tea, and to get Daisy some juice as Harry serves them the food he had cooked. It’s still warm, and he thanks Harry silently for waiting to cook for himself until he knew the lot of them would be awake. 

Daisy chatters about something Eggsy can’t actually make out as she eats, and his mum mainly smiles down at her and occasionally interjects to answer the younger girl’s questions. It’s all a scene, Eggsy thinks as he finishes his tea. 

Eventually, they’re both done and Michelle whisks Daisy and herself upstairs to get dressed for the day. Eggsy thinks back to everything that’s happened, and he smiles to himself at his own luck.

He’s saved enough money now that he can afford a little flat close to here. He’s been looking recently. He can finally get his mum and Dais a place where it’s their own. He hasn’t talked to Harry about it. Which, to be fair to himself, is partly because he’s afraid the older man might think it’s a good idea. He doesn’t want to leave Harry, he knows. But he also wants Daisy to grow up with her own room in a  _ home  _ that was her own. While Harry has let them live with him, it’s not Michelle’s or Daisy’s. Eggsy still thinks that maybe it’s not his. Because Harry loves him, is  _ in love  _ with him, but what if he’s asking for too much? 

He knows it’s most likely irrational, but he can’t help but wonder. 

“I… I been thinkin’ recently ‘bout renting a flat.” 

Harry looks up from his paper, a crease forming in his brows. Eggsy isn’t really sure what that means, and so he soldiers on. 

“Been savin’ up since I started working with Merlin. I’ve been looking at flats around here. I think I could afford one. It’ll be nice for mum and Daisy, I think.” 

Harry stares at him, opening his mouth before closing it again. He looks like he’s trying to form some sort of sentence, but lacks the works. There’s a pause, and Eggsy fidgets with his shirt. 

“You could live here if you’d like,” Harry says, and looks as though he’s bracing himself for rejection. Eggsy cannot possibly understand  _ why.  _ He doesn’t know what kind of dumbarse would pass up the chance to live with  _ Harry Hart  _ of all people, but they must be stupid. 

He releases a breath at the offer, and smiles at the older man, nodding rapidly at the invitation. 

Harry smiles warmly at him, “Where were you thinking of renting the apartment? I could possibly help pick one for your mother and sister that’s closer by, for visits. I know that’s important to you.” 

Eggsy realizes very suddenly that he had just agreed to move in permanently with his  _ soulmate _ . There is a certain part of his brain that lights up with the realization, and he’s struck dumb by it. This is a stage of life he had never thought he would get. This is  _ it.  _

He only vaguely hears what Harry is saying but nods anyways, agreeing to whatever he had just been asked. All he heard was something about visiting, and he understands when Harry nods and says he’ll help him look after he gets dressed. 

Eggsy stares at his hands as Harry kisses him before walking upstairs to get dressed. He’s in some sort of shock, he thinks. 

_ I’m moving in with my soulmate,  _ he thinks as he clears off the table and begins to wash the dishes. He smiles, biting his lip. 

He thinks only vaguely about the fact he’s been living with his soulmate for months by now. He only notices that he’s done washing the cutlery when Daisy runs and grabs his, thankfully dry, hand, tugging him into the sitting room to play. He smiles at her, and soon enough his mum is there. 

“Harry asked me to move in with him permanently. He said he’d help find the flat I’ve been thinking of for you and Dais as well.” 

She smiles warmly at him, pulling him into her arms. “That’s great, luv,” she says into his shoulder. Harry returns downstairs just as they pull apart, and she smiles warmly at him before sitting down next to Daisy. 

Harry sits next to him, and he reaches over and twines their hands together. 

When the telly flickers on, Eggsy almost laughs when he sees the couple on it kiss and hold hands as they walk down the sidewalk. 

His life is a romantic comedy, he thinks as he looks over at Harry and smiles, the best sort of them. Harry just smiles back and rubs his thumb over Eggsy’s knuckles. Everything is finally perfect. 


	16. The Best is Yet to Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Maybe everything has changed, but everything has changed for the better, and now he can chase his dreams."
> 
> (Michelle and Daisy move out, things get emotional).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup, y'all! Incredibly sorry about my non-existent posting schedule (once again). Things have been kind of odd these past few weeks and I'm trying to work harder for you guys! I promise I'll get better with posting soon enough! 
> 
> Thanks for nearly 6200 views! You're all legends and I'm genuinely surprised this fic is almost over? It feels like it just started, and I've come so far with it. It's sorta like my first kid. But it is nearly finished. There will be 2 other chapters (one will be plot but the other will be a fluffer chapter so it can end on an even number of chapters. It's a thing for me sorry). 
> 
> This chapter is not beta'd. I apologize for any mistakes, but I wanted to post on time. It may be edited soon, hopefully. 
> 
> Anyways, this chapter is literally dedicated to moving and emotions. There is practically no dialogue, and I'm sorry for that but it didn't really need it!

In the end, the flat Eggsy decides on with careful help from Harry, is two bedrooms and extremely spacious. He had saved more than he knew, apparently. It was close to home, too. He wouldn’t have considered it otherwise. It’s a few blocks away, a comfortable enough distance to be able to walk for a visit. 

It was also a surprise for his mum, and Daisy too. He knew she would love it, she always did love the sort of place that was more open but comfortable. He had seen it with Harry at his side and he just knew it was the one. Signing the papers had been something of a revelation, a final weight off his chest. It had been his goal for so long to get them all from under Dean, and he had gotten that twice over.

He had told her over lunch yesterday, some spacious and well lit place that had an atmosphere that was happy and bright. Daisy was off with Harry at home, when he had offered to babysit while they had lunch. When Eggsy told her about the flat, she had started tearing up. For a second, Eggsy had no idea what to do, but then she had hugged him. She was the happiest he had seen her since the trial, and before that since his father had been alive. He had smiled back at her and hugged her again. 

He smiles as he helps pack Daisy’s toys. She had collected an almost comical amount during her time with Harry. Her favorites, in the end, had been the dinosaur and the whale plushie. They were adorable, of course, and named Opa and Splash, in order. 

He makes sure to set those aside from the boxes as he packs the various other things she had gotten. There is the sundress that Harry had bought her the first week, the one that Daisy nearly refused to take off when she set her mind to it. He folds it neatly with the rest of her clothes and packs it away as well. 

Harry enters the guest room quietly, sitting on the made bed while he folds clothes. Eggsy looks over at him and smiles, receiving a kiss on the forehead for his efforts packing. 

Eggsy will miss having his mum and Daisy so close, though. He knows somewhere that it was bound to happen eventually, and needed to happen, but he almost can’t believe it’s happening now. He had waited so long for this day, and yet it seems almost not real. 

His whole life feels like a dream most days. Everything seemed to change all at once, and before that not at all. He guesses it all started with Harry. His whole life had began with Harry in a way, or at least the best part had. 

His mum is out getting lunch while he finishes the last of the packing. They’re going to be done today, and so he had offered her a reprieve from the stress of it all. He really didn’t know how stressful it was to move officially. Sure, he had technically moved in with Harry, but it had never felt like this. He assumes this is different, this is where Daisy will grow up, this is the final stop for their family. He was never stressed about moving in with Harry, though. In part because he had accidentally done it months ago, and partly because he wanted it from the start. Some part of him had always longed to stay near Harry, and now he could. 

He shakes himself out of his thoughts and goes back to placing the last of Daisy’s clothes into the final box. It had took him less time than he had assumed. 

He stands, stretching his arms above his head. He had been on the floor for too long, he thinks as he yawns. Harry stands with him, stacking the final box near the others. He realizes rather suddenly that this is it. This is the beginning he had always wanted. Dean is gone, his mum is happy, Daisy is happy, and he has Harry. 

He stands and looks at the boxes, Harry coming behind him to rest his chin on his shoulder, wrapping his arms around Eggsy’s waist. Harry hums, “Do you think we need to label the boxes?” 

Eggsy lets out a laugh before reluctantly agreeing, recognizing it will likely make his mum’s life easier when she unpacks. He pulls away from Harry slowly pulling away from Harry, turning to give the older man a quick kiss before walking to get a marker for the labeling. 

It doesn’t take long to label Daisy’s boxes, most of them are either toys or clothes. He pulls Harry into a kiss when he finishes, handing him the marker. 

“Think I hear mum, you put that up and I can help her with the food, yeah?” 

Harry nods, and Eggsy kisses him again before walking downstairs. Daisy runs to him quickly, pulling him towards the food. He smiles down at her, and lets go of her hand in order to grab a bag from his mum. He doesn’t actually know where she went to get the food, but she had said it was a great place to eat and so he doesn’t worry too much. 

Harry enters the kitchen shortly after, and when Daisy sees him she smiles and tugs his hand. He picks her up, twirling her for a second in the air before turning to Eggsy and smiling slightly. It’s the same smile it’s always been. He guesses that time gives new perspective, and he assumes that’s what this is. Harry had always looked at him like he is now, soft and sweet. He assumed it was always friendly, but he’s glad he was wrong. Harry is in love with him, he doesn’t doubt it. Except on his bad days, which despite his life now he still has. 

But Harry proves it over and over again. With the offer to house both him and Daisy after they made a run for it, after he bought them anything they needed, after he offered to house his mum too, when he asked him to move into his house permanently. Harry had cared for them all in their time of need, and he still goes on proving he cares about them every single day. 

Eggsy smiles back as he puts down the food and starts taking it all out. It’s a lot, but he eats enough for three others. Daisy has his appetite too, eating enough for an adult at the least. She makes grabby hands at the food, seemingly remembering it’s there.

Daisy makes Harry sit next to her, asking him various questions about butterflies. It’s a scene to see, with Harry explaining the different aspects of lepidopterology to a kid who just started learning how to spell words in some capacity. It’s sweet, though, that the older man tries. Eggsy watches him with admiration, smiling at the way that Daisy seems to blossom under the praise at understanding the idea of wings on butterflies. Eggsy has never been interested in anything even remotely dealing with butterflies, but with the way that Harry excitedly moves his hands while he explains the different things in the study, Eggsy just might learn a thing or two about it. 

They eat quickly, or rather Eggsy and Daisy do while his mum and Harry eat like they have some sort of manners. Daisy has succeeded in not getting too much on her second favorite sundress, which she rarely does, and Eggsy helps her take her dishes to the kitchen. Harry washes the dishes as he rinses them, and it goes much faster when his mum offers to put them on the drying rack. 

Daisy sits idly at the table, waiting for some sort of attention back on her. She seems about as content as children are when they’re forced to wait, but she’s happy nonetheless. She’s whispering something to her plushies, Eggsy doesn’t know either of their names. He smiles nonetheless at the way Daisy seems to brighten with whatever scene she’s playing out with her toys. 

He never had this peace when Dean was around. He was always scared, no matter how much he wished he wasn’t, that something would happen to him. He went to the Marines to train, to get that peace. The chaos of his life always followed him though, and then his mum was pregnant with Daisy. He sometimes resents the fact his mum forced him to come home, but he will never regret being around for both her and Daisy. He just regrets waiting so long to get away from Dean. Waiting so long to get Daisy away from the prick. He knows it technically should not have been his job. His mum is the one who put them all in the situation, but he knows the difficult situation she was in, and more than that, the abuse certainly had some play in her feeling stuck in the situation. 

They finish the dishes just as the moving van pulls up outside. The movers, who they point to the guestroom, are kind enough. The process takes a lot less time than Eggsy thought it would, and he’s happy when all the boxes are organized into the back of the van. 

They end up walking to the flat instead of riding with the movers. Daisy is bouncing with excitement, having been told it’s her new castle. She hadn’t actually been that excited before, arguing that she likes her castle now, but she had warmed up to the idea of it when she had been told that Harry lives nearby, and they can walk there whenever she wants to. 

She’s excited for her own room, regardless. She had stated, with the conviction of a fact, that her room would be decorated within the theme of princess dinosaur. Eggsy didn’t actually know which parts of the two vastly different themes would take root where, but he was pleased that she had figured out what she wanted to decorate the place after. 

His mum, who is holding Daisy’s hand and quietly muttering the directions to herself, opens the door to the new flat first. She had already teared up when she saw the neighbourhood it was in. It was nice, Eggsy had made sure it was. Nicer than the Estates by a long shot. It was a step below Harry’s neighbourhood, but it was still beautiful. It was closer to the park they frequented, even, for Daisy. The building was new, too. Some kind bloke named Champ owns it. He said he was from the South of the United States, and had a co-owner, or some sort of manager type person who called himself Tequila. Eggsy thought it best not to question it at all, and instead had talked to the bird who worked for them, Ginger. Eggsy thought they all had odd names, but he also was called Eggsy, so he couldn’t really judge anyways. 

He hands his mum the key when they catch the lift up. She unlocks the door slowly, looking hesitant. Eggsy whispers quiet encouragement to her, knowing that this is obviously a large threshold to cross in life. 

She pushes the door open softly, and Daisy runs in quickly, obviously curious to explore the new place. But his mum, still standing in the doorway, breaks down into tears. It’s a sight to see, surely, but Eggsy immediately goes to hug her. Time stops for a second. Years of abuse, of fear, of everything comes to a point. This is the final move, this is the the one that wins the game. None of it disappears, of course not, but now everything is new. Eggsy thinks back to something about fresh starts that he can’t remember the exact words to. Everything has changed for the better, and this is the new start Eggsy always dreamed of. For him, for Daisy, for his mum. 

He refuses to cry at such a happy moment, so instead he hugs his mum and he smiles. Harry, who had been standing at his side, moves into the flat to go find Daisy, smiling sweetly at him before he moves off. Eggsy does cry then, because he has everything he ever wanted. 

“We deserve this,” he says as they move into the flat, “we deserve it.”

His life is finally his own, and it’s better than he ever imagined it. 

\---

The movers put the various boxes in the correct rooms, Daisy excitedly walking through the apartment multiple times. She squealed when she saw her room, even though it had nothing in it yet. They had bought furniture online, and it was being delivered today. Harry had offered to pay for it all, a sort of welcome gift, but Eggsy had only allowed him to help with half the full price. Mainly he just two beds, one for Daisy and one for his mum. Along with the various wardrobes and dressers needed to house the clothes they brought, all approved by his mum. She had said she’d buy the rest when she started the job she had interviewed for after the trial. 

The furniture arrives soon after the boxes are all moved in, and he’s suddenly extremely glad he payed to have the people set it up. While he’s happy to help, he’s never been the best at following instructions exactly. While they wait for the bed in his mum’s room to be set up, they get to work unpacking all of Daisy’s boxes. It takes around the same time to unpack them all as it does for the bed to be set up, and soon the group migrates to his mum’s room to avoid getting in the workers’ way while they do Daisy’s bed. Harry instructs them where to put it. 

Daisy jumps excitedly on his mum’s bed, giggling. She’s happy, and Eggsy smiles at the sight of it. His mum begins unpacking her own stuff, re-folding and putting her clothes way. He sits on her bed, watching it all. 

Harry returns shortly, smiling when he sees Eggsy and Daisy on the bed. He walks over and sits beside him, entangling their hands. 

He smiles at his soulmate, and looks over at his mum. She’s smiling now, the watery smile that comes from being a bit too overwhelmed with happiness. Eggsy smiles wider. 

Daisy laughs as Harry leans over to her and trips her. She giggles loudly as the older man tickles her, squirming and trying to get free from the hold. She’s smiling widely, missing teeth and all. She’s radiant, looking over at Eggsy and asking him to help her escape Harry’s grasp. He leans over by the older man, looking like he’s going to tickle him before switching to tickle Daisy instead. She squeals, squirming even more before finally wriggling free. She laughs airily and runs away from the room. 

Eggsy takes one last look at his mum, then at the love of his life, before chasing after his sister. 

Maybe everything has changed, but everything has changed for the better, and now he can chase his dreams.


	17. Almost There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'I’m almost there,' he whispers to himself, 'almost there.'"
> 
> (Eggsy, Harry, and Daisy visit a pet adoption center. Things go off the tracks a bit).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup y'all!
> 
> Some updates first:  
> 1) I will post on Saturday or Sunday. I keep forgetting on Friday because it's like my relaxation day also I end up falling asleep as soon as I return from school each time and just sleep all day. Sorry.  
> 2) This chapter is beta'd. Me and Bristi had been off-sync with the last few chapters but we talked about it and found a better schedule for us. A huge thanks to her.  
> 3) This is the pre-finale of this fic! The final chapter will be next week, and I'm not actually prepared to write it. I will cry, no doubt about that. 
> 
> This has been an incredibly journey! Thank you to all of you. And thank you for over 6400 hits on this story so far! I both look forward to seeing how far this story will go and dread the end a ton. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for staying with me through it. See you next week.

The thing about moving in with Harry is that absolutely nothing had really changed. Not in a big way, at least. The rest of his clothes migrate into Harry’s closet and wardrobe, sure, but that was nearly all that happened. Everything else stays the same. He wakes up in Harry’s arms, he makes tea while Harry makes breakfast, and they ride to work together, and have lunch when they’re not too busy. It’s almost boring in the domesticity of it, and he loves it more than anything. Eggsy finally has a foundation to stand on, to build the rest of his life on. 

The weekends are used for lounging around, or dates. Eggsy had never really went on dates before. He hadn’t really been all that interested in any of his flings enough to truly try the whole relationship thing before. It was fine, too, he didn’t have the money to waste anyways. The first time he had wanted to go on a date was with Harry. But the first unofficial date they went on took a turn for the worst, and he had nearly given up on hope for it all. 

The first official date was a couple days after his mum moved out. They hadn’t had the time before it all, with the trial and then the move. Work had picked up similarly, which was helpful, since he needed the extra money for the flat. 

But now, they have all settled. He and Harry have a routine, and Eggsy loves it. He loves Harry. He loves his _life_ , for once. He feels like it isn’t his life some days, like he’s stepped into some alternate universe. He knows somewhere in the back of his mind on these days, that it _is_ his life, but it still feels like a sort of dream. 

It’s Friday, though, and Daisy is coming to visit when Eggsy gets off work. He stops the musings on the dream life he has now to instead focus on the storefront. Roxy is in a fitting with a customer, some bloke he can’t remember the name of. He’s a prick, and Eggsy refuses to wait on him. But Roxy is much more polite and could handle the bloke with ease. It’s nearly lunch regardless, and Eggsy is grateful for the fact that Harry is picking him up soon. 

He looks around the shop, Dagonet is somewhere in the back taking his lunch. Eggsy checks his phone, smiling when he sees Harry has texted him. 

_ Change of plans. Do you want to pick up lunch and come to the office?  _

Eggsy sends a quick affirmative. He didn’t get to go into Harry’s office much, and while he mourns that fact, he absolutely hates Harry’s boss. Chester King, he had decided not even five minutes into meeting the prehistoric bloke for the first time, was an elitist prick of the worst kind. He had turned his nose up at Eggsy the first time he saw him, like even the sight of Eggsy could condemn him. King had stepped into Harry’s office one day while he and Eggsy were having lunch together to ask about some client. When he had first seen Eggsy, sitting on Harry’s desk while talking to his soulmate, the prick had stopped in his tracks. Like he was almost shocked to see Eggsy there, and even more so to see someone _like_ Eggsy in the office building. 

Eggsy had just smiled brightly and introduced himself, holding out his hand for a handshake. King had given Eggsy his hand reluctantly, only doing so when Harry raised his eyebrow. Eggsy had smiled wider and laced his hand with Harry’s as King backed away in disgust that was far too obvious on his face. Eggsy had rolled up his sleeves earlier, and Harry had too in the wake of the heat that had settled around London in the past few days. King looked briefly at the obvious Marks on both of their forearms, and then to Harry with the same distaste he had with Eggsy. 

It was almost funny to look at. The older man had looked almost constipated, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Harry stifle a chuckle with a cough. Harry had smoothed his expression once again, looking at King with an unimpressed look. 

“You need something?” Harry had asked, looking for all the world like he would rather be talking to anyone else. 

“I’ll come back later. When your  _ company, _ ” there was an emphasis on the word that obviously showed he meant it as an insult, “has left.”

Harry had smiled at his boss in a picture of pure innocence before nodding a bit, “That sounds amazing. Me and Eggsy,” and King had lifted his nose a bit higher, “would  _ love  _ to finish our lunch.” 

He remembers fondly the way that King had stiffened before smiling, barely, and going back through the door. Eggsy had laughed then, full bellied and ecstatic to see Harry so sassy. Harry had looked at him sweetly before continuing the conversation where it had been dropped. He jumps out of his skin when a hand rests on his shoulder. He looks up quickly to realize it’s Roxy, who looks near concerned down at him. 

“I called you at least four times, Snow White. It’s time for lunch.” 

Eggsy briefly is confused with how much time has passed, and he looks down at his wristwatch before nodding. 

“Done with your fitting, then?” he asks her, and tries to keep the disdain for the client out of his voice in case the bloke is still lurking in the shop somewhere. 

“Just need to ring him up and write down his order. You were right about him, by the way. Complete prick.” Eggsy looks up at her comment, she never really insults customers unless they’re truly horrendous. He laughs, and smooths his face over when the bloke exists the fitting room Roxy had measured him in. He sneers at Eggsy as he walks to the tilly.

Eggsy truly doesn’t have the time for it, and so he goes to get his coat from the back while Roxy rings the prick up. Roxy remains civil, and he’s oddly proud when she meets him in the back after she’s done. 

Merlin appears from his office in his usual patched jumper with the button up and tie and slacks, and when he sees them he smiles. Or his version of a smile, which is basically a beaming smile anyways in Merlin’s scale. Roxy walks to him, kissing him chastely and walking him over the table. Dagonet has migrated to the storefront, and the couple sit at the table. Eggsy isn’t technically off for lunch for around five minutes, but Merlin waves him off. 

He’s out the room by the time Roxy calls out to him. 

“You meeting up with Harry for lunch at that restaurant?” she asks him, and he shakes his head. 

“Nah. Gonna pick up the food and go to his office for lunch today. Why?” She looks back at the room where Merlin sits. 

“Wanted to walk with you. Me and Merlin want to try the place since you rate it so high.”

Eggsy shrugs his shoulders and agrees. He likes the food at the place, sure, but he mainly loved it for it’s value in his life. It was the first place he had truly been with Harry, and it held a certain sentimental value for him he assumed. 

She nods and goes to grab her coat. He walks out the front of the shop while he waits for her to ask Merlin what he wants. Dagonet, who is fixing the ties, smiles at him as he passes. Eggsy smiles back, and then Roxy is back. 

It’s a nice day out, a breeze that nips but the sun still shining. He’s glad that the walk to Harry’s office and the restaurant is short, though. He and Roxy walk a little slower than normal, chattering about whatever comes up. 

“How are you and Merlin?”

Roxy blushes a light pink and shoves his shoulder. He smiles at her innocently. 

“Amazing, Snow White. He’s the love of my life,” she tells him, and her whole body seems to melt into the sentiment. He knows he has the same look when he talks about Harry. 

“What about you and your Prince Charming?” 

Eggsy glares at her with no real heat. Harry is a sort of Prince Charming, he realizes. He saved Eggsy. He saved his  _ family. _ He smiles at the thought, and looks over at Roxy. 

“Aces, Rox. He’s absolute aces. Taking the move so well. He’s teaching me to cook.” 

Roxy’s eyes widen, and she smiles. “Finally. Your breakfast may be good, but you can’t cook anything else to save your life.” He agrees with her reluctantly, knowing it’s technically true. 

She smiles even wider at him, slinging her arm around his shoulders. 

“Who would have thought we would get  _ here _ . You’ve gone soft, Unwin.” Eggsy sticks his tongue out at the sentiment, “You have too, Morton.” 

She nods and laughs it off, swaying them both slightly as they walk. 

\---

He arrives at Harry’s office not too long after. He had walked a little faster than he normally would. Which he would blame on him being ready to eat, but he knows it’s because he’s missed Harry today.

He stops by reception. He and Amelia had become friends due to his visits to Harry. She was a nice bird. Hilarious too, and had various pictures of her soulmate at her desk. She had told him, when he had asked some time back, that her name was Tilde. Eggsy had smiled and jokingly teased her about her lovesick expression. He couldn’t blame her, he wore the same one when he told her about Harry. 

He rides the lift to Harry’s floor, humming some tune to a Sinatra song he can’t remember the name of. It makes him calm. His mum loves the song, but he can’t remember the chorus either. He’ll search it later. 

He knocks on the wooden doors of Harry’s office, and is relieved when he hears Harry tell him to come in. He opens the door, making sure to be careful of the food in its bag. He smiles widely when he sees Harry behind his desk, skyline behind him. The older man’s office is always beautiful, especially when the sunlight comes through the windows. It makes him look slightly like an angel sitting at his desk. Harry looks powerful, and it’s not completely Eggsy’s fault that he suddenly wishes he could crawl under the older man’s desk and just stay there. 

It’s a weird urge, Eggsy thinks, but he’s warmed up to his thoughts regarding his soulmate. Love makes people want to do strange things, or so he probably heard somewhere else.  When Harry sees him, he smiles warmly and gestures to the couch he keeps in his office for Eggsy. He had moved it from outside the office, it seemed easier for the visits if they could sit closer. Eggsy agreed, but mourned the loss of being able to sit on the older man’s desk. 

Harry gets up from his chair, and only then does Eggsy notice that his suit jacket is on the back of his chair. Another thing that has stayed the same, he notices as Harry moves towards the couch, is that he still feels breathless when he sees Harry. He assumed that would wear off in some way. The thumping of his heart, the sweaty palms like a kid asking out his crush to a dance, the flutter of his stomach. 

He hasn’t had the best role models for love. He barely remembers Lee. Foggy memories of football games in the park by their house, visits to some museum he hasn’t visited since, the joyful air that followed the man anywhere he went. He remembers distinctly only certain things. His mum and his da dancing in the living room as some slow ballad played, the visit to a zoo when he had turned five, his mum being so happy. 

Everything had changed so fast, and then love became so obsolete in his life. He had various flings, and so did his mum. Then Dean had entered the picture, and he had to fight tooth and nail to survive. Love, understandably, took a backburner in his life. 

He returns back to the present moment, walking to the couch to set the food down on the small table in Harry’s office. The couch gives a nice view of the windows behind Harry’s desk. It’s his favorite feature of the office. Aside from the desk, which he really shouldn’t find as hot as he does when he sees Harry at it. 

He kisses Harry chastely in greeting, smiling when Harry deepens the kiss and tangles a hand in his hair. He loves when the older man does that, it’s soothing in some odd way. 

He eats quickly, not willing to waste time with Harry over something as trivial as food. He watches Harry eat his food when he’s done. He fills the silence of the older man eating with chatter about his day so far. Mainly the customer from that morning. Harry nods along with interest, which had been something that Eggsy wasn’t truly acclimated with yet. No one had ever listened to him fully, not in the way Harry had. Not his primary school teachers, not the adults in his old neighbourhood for sure. 

He preens a bit under the attention. Having all of Harry’s attention was a bit intoxicating. It made him feel like he is the center of the older man’s universe. 

“Do you think you can teach me to cook something cool tonight? For Daisy?” 

Harry gives pause for a second at the question before nodding. “What would you like to make for her? Any ideas?”

“Nah, didn’t think that far ahead. Probably something simple, though, yeah?” 

Harry nods, a small smile gracing his lips. Eggsy smiles wider. He probably looks like a fool smiling that wide, especially for something as small as getting a smile. But everything Harry does feels like it’s something huge. Making the older man smile, or even laugh, feels like an accomplishment. 

Eggsy feels slightly like a flower in the sun, blossoming in the light. He’s a butterfly, finally able to fly. Harry makes him feel infinite. It’s decidedly a nice feeling to finally be just happy. 

Harry is done eating by the time Eggsy finishes the story about Roxy and him a year after they met. They had gotten pissed at some pub and had nearly adopted a dog. Which wasn’t quite the right thing to do, Eggsy couldn’t bring a dog back to the flat and Roxy didn’t want to take care of it alone. In the end, they were dragged away from the puppies by Ryan and Jamal, who had convinced them to focus on food instead. 

“My boy, we can visit an adoption center soon if you truly would like to have a dog,” Harry pauses for a second before nodding to himself. Eggsy looks at him for a second, processing the idea. He’s wanted a dog for years, since he was a kid. He loves them with all he has, he’s always had a soft spot for animals. He considers the offer. 

“D’you want a dog?” Eggsy asks him, suddenly nervous for the answer. He wants this, he wants to chance to explore parts of life he never has. Harry smiles softly at him, pulling him in for a light kiss. 

“Of course, my love. If it makes you happy, then that’s even better. Do you think Ms. Daisy would like having one around when she visits?”

Eggsy smiles at the image. Daisy had learned the word “dog” when she was two, and had repeated it every single time she saw an animal for somewhere near three weeks after she had learned the word. It was endearing, to say the least. She loved animals, another thing she shares with him. 

“Dais would love it, absolutely goes mad when she sees one. I’m just afraid she’ll try to dress the poor thing up like a doll.” Harry chuckles, agreeing with the sentiment. 

“Maybe we could just see if we should get one. Always wanted one when I was a kid. Never could, though, flat was too small.” 

Harry looks softly at him, nodding along. “We could go this weekend. Bring Ms. Daisy as well, and Michelle if she’s available.” 

Eggsy nods, smiling widely. He knows he needs to head out soon, knowing his lunch was a bit longer than it should be. He kisses Harry one last time, a promise for later, before leaving with a salute as he walks out the door. Harry rolls his eyes, but smiles and nods anyways. 

\---

Andy picks him up before Harry. His day had drastically improved, but he still was incredibly happy to be going home. He loves working here in some way, but he had also missed Harry and Daisy both. He talks with Andy on the way over, asking about his work for Harry through the years. He learns two things as he rides with Andy to pick up Harry. One is that Andy has two kids, one boy and a little girl, and another is that he’s worked with Harry for years and he is fiercely loyal to the older man. Eggsy smiles as he listens to various funny stories about his soulmate. Including the one time Andy had picked up absolutely pissed Merlin and Harry, who had asked to be drove to a golf course. Andy hadn’t questioned it, but he did stay long enough to see the pair stumble onto the course and proceed to try to race each other. 

It was endearing to learn the smaller facts about the older man. After a bit, Harry finally does come down to the car, smiling slightly and looking happy, but mostly tired. The ride back home doesn’t take too long since Andy always finds the roads with the least amount of traffic. It’s a kindness Eggsy greatly appreciates, because while he loves riding with Andy, he is also ready to see Daisy as well as eat. 

Harry unlocks the door when they return home, and Andy stays around long enough for them to wave and offer a goodbye before he’s gone. Daisy isn’t coming over for another half hour or so, and so he drags Harry into the kitchen after they change just to learn how to cook lasagna. 

Turns out, he’s not very good at boiling pasta. Which is something he really thought would be easier, or maybe just the fact that he would be better at. Harry ends up doing that part for him, and he focuses on cooking the meat instead. He’s better at that, breakfast had required him to occasionally do it. 

By the time it’s in the oven, there is a knock on the door. It’s obviously Daisy and his mum, and so he jogs to go open it. Daisy is wearing her favorite sundress and smiling widely, and his mum looks at him kindly before hugging him. Harry comes to the door a few moments later, and wrapping his arm around his waist. It’s an intimate gesture, and he smiles at it. Daisy, though, just runs into the house, excited to show them her new toys.  “Eggsy, luv, ‘m gonna be back by Sunday, okay?” 

He nods at his mum, kissing her cheek and saying goodbye before he goes to find Daisy. He’s excited to keep her for the weekend. He’s missed her presence around the house, so had Harry. 

“Hey, luv! How was school this week?” Daisy excitedly tells him about her newest friend named Bridget. It’s a lovely name, and Daisy seems to like her. She says that she’ll be best friends with Tilly and Bridget. 

“That’s great, Dais! She sounds lovely, babes. But, I wanted to talk about something. Me and Harry were thinking about visiting an adoption center for a dog this weekend, do you want to come?”  The answering screech and, “yes, Eggy!” is almost comical. Harry is smiling when Eggsy looks up at him. He nods at Daisy, telling her about how they’re going to go look at all the dogs and choose the one they want. Daisy talks excitedly about it, already ready despite the fact they can’t go today. 

Instead he and Harry sit down at the table with her until the lasagna is done, drawing pictures of various dogs. Her picture looks slightly like a nightmare dog, but Eggsy still smiles and says he’ll hang it in his room later. He should get around to hanging the rest of the pictures as well from his old wall. 

\---

The adoption center, as it turns out, is huge. The dogs all bark excitedly as the group walk by. Eggsy smiles as he looks around. He’s feels a sense of sadness, regardless, that he can’t help all of the dogs. He shakes it off when he sees Daisy’s face. They’re mainly following her lead. After all, the dog needs to get along with her first.  She walks to the end of the row of dogs. She’s stopped countless times, petting at the dogs through the fences and giggling as they lick her hands. She’s excited, bouncing in her shoes as she runs from dog to dog to pet them. 

She gasps when she sees two puppies. They’re slightly smaller than average, the both of them. One is a small terrier of some kind, brown fur and more mellow than the bulldog. The bulldog, running around excitedly before laying down near the door, is louder and more feisty. Eggsy loves the both of them, and he’s near torn thinking about choosing between them. When he looks over at Harry, the older man is looking lovingly at the dogs, obviously excited about the prospect of getting one. 

Daisy can’t seem to choose either, excitedly talking about the both of them. He’s happy she’s so excited, and he knows she is gonna choose one of the two in front of them before she says it. He isn’t quite expecting her to say she can’t choose.  “Eggy, I want ‘em both!” 

Eggsy doesn’t quite know what to say to that, and he looks over at Harry. The older man apparently shares the sentiment, though, nodding slightly. Eggsy shares the sentiment too, of course he wants them both, but are they really going to adopt two puppies?

\---

They do adopt two puppies in the end. Daisy, bouncing excitedly on her heels, talks excitedly about the puppies. 

The two puppies, both too small and yipping happily at the attention, sit in a buggy at some pet store. It’s funny, that they gave in so easily. Or that they didn’t really need to be convinced at all. 

“Harry, look at the bulldog!”

Harry looks over at him, “Eggsy, my love, that’s a pug.” He’s confused for a second, but he accepts the new breed easily enough. 

“We can name them, and let Daisy pick their middle names?” Harry suggests, and Eggsy readily agrees. Daisy can’t name things to save her life, no matter how endearing the names she does give are. 

Eggsy names the  _ pug  _ JB in the end, Jack Bauer. Harry automatically agrees, citing that he’s superior to the new Bond. Harry, smiling innocently, names the terrier Hamish. When Eggsy asks, Harry smiles even more innocently. 

“It’s Merlin’s real name. His parents named him after his grandfather. He got the ‘Merlin’ moniker in primary school. Incredible at charming the teachers into giving him anything he wanted.”

Eggsy laughs heartily, and tells Daisy she can pick JB’s middle name. She smiles widely, dubbing JB’s middle name as ‘Loaf’. When Eggsy asks, she says that JB looks like a loaf of bread, and he doesn’t question. He tells Harry to pick the middle name for Hamish, considering Harry had a dog similar to the new puppy. In the end, the older man chooses ‘Mr. Pickles the Second’. It’s almost sweet, and they decide to let Daisy call him ‘Ham’ and they’ll call him Mr. Pickles. Mr. Pickles the First has a legacy now, it seems. 

When they get home, it’s nearly dinner. They decide to order in as they set all the stuff down, including the dogs. He smiles at Harry, laughing as JB and Hamish run off to explore the new house. Daisy smiles and chases after them. 

Eggsy’s smile widens as he kisses Harry chastely and goes to put all the new stuff they bought up and set up the stuff for the puppies. 

“I love you,” Harry calls over his shoulder as he walks into some different part of the house to find Daisy. Eggsy finds comfort in the fact that it’s the truth. He smiles and says it back, smiling when he hears Daisy start giggling somewhere in the house. 

He is content with his life now. He has a soulmate who he loves, and who loves him back. He has a job and friends who love him. He has everything he has ever wanted.  _ Well,  _ he thinks as he stares the way Harry had just went,  _ almost everything.  _

_ I’m almost there _ , though, he thinks as he puts the various toys away. He just needs to marry the older man, and the rest of their life will be ahead of them. He thinks about kids, about having  _ children  _ before shaking it off in favor of setting up the dog beds. 

“I’m almost there,” he whispers to himself,“ _ almost there. _ ”


	18. Since the Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He dreams of butterflies, and the not-so-distant future he has with Harry."
> 
> (Eggsy and Harry get engaged, Roxy and Merlin get married, and Eggsy and Harry finally get their happy ending).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wassup y'all!
> 
> So this is the last chapter of this fic. I don't know if I'll ever do another epilogue type thing (maybe kids or something), but we'll see. But this is the official end, this fic is over. It took me a little over 6 months, but I did it. 
> 
> I'm very emotional. This fic is the first one I have ever finished, even if it took me longer than expected. I have struggled these last few chapters to find what I wanted to end on, and this is finally it. This is a huge step for me. My first longer work, and I've actually done something I'm very proud of. 
> 
> I wanted to thank all of you for giving me inspirations to keep writing. Also to Bristi, who was a huge factor in making me want to keep writing. If not for her this fic probably would have been abandoned. She deserves all the praise in the world. We both did indeed cry, as predicted. The end of this fic signals a new dawn or something else. Point is: I'm crying. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for nearly 6900 hits. You're all legends for reading this. The only thing from here is up. 
> 
> Also I'm sorry this chapter was delayed but I was sick (again, I know. I have a weak immune system). I also wanted to kinda get this chapter to the point of perfection, and writing 14 pages is not easy. I had a lot of writers block. But I struggled through, and the final product was very worth it. 
> 
> So: for a final time, thanks again, and I hope you all enjoy.

Eggsy had never assumed he would have a Mark. He had always guessed that he would just be one of those blokes who went about their whole life without one. In a way he had always accepted that, had always thought that no one could actually  _ love him.  _

He rethought that when he met Harry Hart. Harry made him rethink everything in some ways. The older man was a curveball in life, if Eggsy was being honest. Something unexpected and  _ beautiful.  _

He taps his feet to the rhythm of the music in the elevator lift as it ascends to Harry’s floor. The older man still had work despite it being Eggsy’s day off. Eggsy was fine with it, since he loved visiting Harry’s office these days, especially after Chester King had been fired after cheating the company out of money or something. It meant that not only was Harry promoted, but he got the office on the highest floor. Which in turn meant that Eggsy visited the office whenever he could. The view was gorgeous, and this office still, thankfully, had the wall of windows. 

When he finally reaches Harry’s floor, he’s pleased to find the older man waiting for him on the couch by the windows. He had rearranged the office after King had been fired, adding small details that made it more comfortable. 

He is greeted with a smile and a quick kiss as he sits on the couch. He feels near shaky with excitement. Harry is getting off early tonight, despite the mountain of paperwork the older man always seems to have. 

They’re having dinner at some posh restaurant that Harry hadn’t told Eggsy the name of tonight for their one year anniversary. He smiles widely at his soulmate, nearly in disbelief at how much his life had changed within the last two years. 

He found the love of his life, and he’s gonna  _ marry  _ the love of his life some day. They share a _ Mark. _

Eggsy pulls Harry into another kiss, thankful for the fact he doesn’t need to rush through lunch for once. It’s almost always the best part of his work days. A beacon of light between arsehole customers and the long work days. Harry is  _ everything.  _

He’s excited to try the new restaurant. It had opened not too long ago, too formal to be somewhere they would go frequently and more expensive than Eggsy can stomach. But it’s a big occasion, and he’s excited to try it out at least once. 

Harry hands him his food, some Chinese takeout that he had ordered before Eggsy had arrived. There is a moment of pause as Eggsy quickly digs into his food. Harry smiles fondly at him before beginning to eat his own food. 

“Are you ready for tonight, my love?” 

Eggsy still hasn’t gotten used to that part of being in love. The little things like pet names, or the fact that Harry always buys his favorite kind of tea if he sees they’re out. He spent so long alone, and now he has someone who is there for him despite  _ anything  _ that happens. 

“‘Arry, you ain’t told me what we’re gonna do yet.”

The older man smiles innocently, “I told you we’re going to that new place.” Eggsy glares at Harry, shaking his head slightly at his soulmate’s theatrics. He’s always loved a bit of mystery. 

“Drama queen, you are,” Eggsy tells Harry, leaning in for a kiss, which the older man gladly gives him. There is a silence as they continue to eat. After he’s finished, Eggsy gets up to look out the windows, watching the scene that unfolds before him.

The older man comes to stand slightly behind him at the windows, slipping an arm around Eggsy’s wasit as they stand. Eggsy barely notices that he immediately melts into the embrace. Their reflection, barely visible in the glass, stares back at them. Eggsy smiles up at the older man, receiving a fond look back. 

“If you would really like to know, Eggsy, we may or may not go somewhere else after dinner. That’s all I can tell you, my boy.”

Eggsy pouts, but accepts that he likes surprises more than he would like to admit. He loves Harry’s surprises especially, the older man always know exactly what to do. 

Soon enough, Harry has some important business meeting to attend. Eggsy kisses him gently as he leaves the office, Harry calling after to him to be prepared. He decides to call Andy instead of walking home. While the distance isn’t that great, he’d rather have a little extra time to prepare for tonight. 

Andy gets there quickly, seemingly always around when needed. 

“Ah, Eggsy. Tonight is the anniversary, correct? Harry has been going on about it for the past month. He’s excited.”

Eggsy smiles at the bloke when he looks back in the mirror, “Y’think so, Andy? He’s takin’ me to that new place. Can’t believe it’s been a year.” 

Andy nods his head once, “I know he is. Harry has never talked about someone the way he talks about you before.”  Eggsy blushes, looking out the window as an excuse to not maintain eye contact. Andy knows what he is saying too, because as Eggsy looks away he chuckles and apologizes without sounding even a tiny bit sorry about it. 

Eggsy thinks about the words the whole ride, still thinking about them as he unlocks the door to the house. He knows that it’s true, Andy wouldn’t lie about it. But he can’t help but feel excited at the idea of being the first for Harry in some form. There are many things that he wasn’t there for, but he is the first and only bloke Harry has ever loved or been in love with, and that counts for everything in the best way. 

Eggsy has time before he needs to be dressed, so instead he resorts to texting Roxy. She’s recently hired a wedding planner, and while she says she trusts the bird completely, she still wants every detail to be  _ perfect _ . He’s excited for her, considering everything. She’s getting  _ married.  _ While somewhere in the back of his mind he’s jealous, he’s mainly just excited as hell for it. He gets to be her maid of honor, a technical bridesman. Which, while he isn’t a bird, he will rock. Harry is Merlin’s best man, with James and Alistair as the other groomsmen. It’s certainly exciting, especially when Dais demanded she be the flower girl. 

Eggsy knows the whole thing is gonna be absolutely stunning. He had, though he wouldn’t admit it, cried when Roxy had showed him the ring. Roxy had blushed as Eggsy had appreciated the pure beauty of the ring. He had realized all quite suddenly as he looked at the ring that he and Rox were at a point in life they never thought they would be, they were  _ happy,  _ and they were  _ in love.  _

He had made fun of her relentlessly as well, claiming she had found her own Prince Charming. But Roxy had just smirked and reversed it back on him, maintaining that he was the princess to Harry’s Prince Charming. Eggsy had just rolled his eyes and pouted. 

He calls her up, and is grateful when she answers on the first few rings. She had the day off too, James and Alastair were working today. She greets him enthusiastically, telling him she’s picking out her flowers today. 

“You excited for dinner tonight, Snow White? One year, you’ve got to be excited.” 

Eggsy smiles to himself as he lays on the bed, “‘m mainly just nervous. One year is a long time, right? D’you think he wants to marry me?” 

He hears Roxy scoff over the phone like he had said something offense. She sounds more than defensive when she replies with a tone that doesn’t allow arguments, “Of course, you idiot. Harry is more in love with you than I’ve ever seen anyone be,  _ ever.  _ It’s sickening.” 

“Have you seen you and Merlin, Rox?” he replies jokingly, and takes pleasure when she chokes on air before she gets to reply. He knows she’s blushing. 

“A low blow, princess. Do you think I should do peonies or tulips? Or maybe I should go for the traditional roses?” 

Eggsy isn’t ashamed that he has to look up the first two types of flowers she listed, because while he likes flowers, he doesn’t exactly know what they look like by name. In the end, looking them up really doesn’t help when they’re all basically the same in terms of beauty. 

“The peonies are right beauties, Rox,” he says, and hopes that she agrees. He doesn’t actually know if they’re the right kind of flower, or if it’s the right decision, but they looked good. 

“You’re right, they’d be a beautiful match for the centerpieces, don’t you agree?” 

Eggsy hums his agreement into the speaker, smiling when he hears Roxy make an excited squeal into the phone. He refrains from laughing at the noise, biting his lip when Roxy threatens him if he tells anyone she made that noise. He vows not to, already planning to tease her about it next time he sees her. 

Before they hang up, nearly an hour later, Roxy calls his name with a serious mood. 

“Eggsy, just so you know, Harry is a thousand percent in love with you. I have never seen anyone look at anyone else the way he looks at you, like they’ve hung the stars each night. You look at him the same way. I’d be more than surprised if he did not want to marry you. Hell, I’d be surprised if he wouldn’t give anything to do it right this instant. You have absolutely nothing to worry about in that regard, princess. You should know that.” 

Eggsy also wouldn’t admit that he tears up at the sentiment, muttering a soft, “Thanks, Morton. Being in love has really softened you up.” 

Eggsy hears rather than sees the responding exasperated look, smiling as they say goodbye. 

He feels an infinite amount better about the whole jealousy deal regarding marriage. He understands that he and Harry got together after Merlin and Rox. It only makes sense that Harry is waiting. Harry is  _ just waiting,  _ and Eggsy really hopes that the mysterious “one day” comes sooner rather than later. 

\---

When he returns home after work, Harry really doesn’t expect to find Eggsy asleep on their bed, fully dressed to the nines. He’s  _ stunning,  _ and the sight is more endearing than it should be, especially since the younger man is slobbering. He reaches into his trouser pocket, feeling around for the velvet box. 

It’s nearly unbelievable how infatuated he is with Eggsy. When he walked into Merlin’s shop that day, he didn’t expect to meet someone so profound in his life. He didn’t expect to meet Eggsy, his  _ soulmate.  _

But even before that, Harry knew that Eggsy was someone that would forever change the entire course of his life. Like his world rearranged itself around the younger man. 

He slips off his suit jacket, quietly going into the loo to take a quick shower. It wasn’t time for dinner yet, so he leaves Eggsy be for the time being.  Getting dressed takes less time than he expects, certainly because of his well-organized routine and well-kept grooming. He knows he should probably wake the younger man up, but instead he grabs his phone off the nightstand. He quietly snaps a photo of Eggsy, still slobbering and now slightly snoring, to save for later blackmail. He wouldn’t admit to anyone, let alone Eggsy, that he finds the picture infinitely adorable. 

He gently shakes Eggsy awake, making sure to not let the younger man roll of the bed. Eggsy mumbles incoherently for a few seconds, rubbing his eyes before smiling softly up at Harry. 

“Hey, ‘arry, s’it time for dinner?” Eggsy mumbles, eyes still only half open. 

Harry smiles down at his soulmate, shaking his head slightly. Eggsy sits up a bit, running a hand through his hair, and Harry tries to refrain from doing the same. Eggsy’s hair is always a bit unkempt when he wakes up, sticking out at odd angles, and Harry really shouldn’t find it as charming as he does.

He leans down to kiss Eggsy, running his own hand through the untamed head of bed head that the younger man sports. It’s incredibly charming, still. He nips gently at Eggsy’s lip, stroking his hand again through the ruffled hair. It was probably done up nice earlier, before the younger man fell asleep, but Harry feels no guilt ruining it further. 

“We still have a bit before dinner,” he tells Eggsy, who looks up at him blearily before looking over to the clock on the bedside table. He makes a soft noise in the back of his throat when Harry accidentally tugs his hair and Harry smiles fondly at the younger man. 

He pulls Eggsy to the loo, where he styles Eggsy’s hair for him. While the younger man usually at least tames his mane for any occasion, he hasn’t quite gotten down styling it carefully. And while Eggsy groans about being able to do it himself, Harry knows by the look on the younger man’s face that he loves when Harry dresses him up like this. 

By the time they’re both finally ready, it’s still not time for dinner. Eggsy goes to play with the dogs while Harry sits on the bed, preparing himself for the night ahead. He doesn’t know  _ why  _ he’s so scared. Because Eggsy  _ loves  _ him,  _ right?  _

He feels for the smooth velvet box he had moved from his trousers earlier into his current ones. He brings it out, making sure that the door is closed tightly before opening it. The ring that sits inside, silver and gold with a black outline. It was slightly expensive, and beautiful as hell. Eggsy deserved it, and Harry moreover wanted to give Eggsy anything he could. 

He was happy with the ring, had planned on getting their initials in it before he realized that their names would change when they got married. He had decided, that if Eggsy so pleased, he would get their initials in their wedding bands instead. 

He closed the box slowly, gently, and plays with it in his palm. He smiles softly, and puts it in his pocket before going to find Eggsy. 

\---

By the time they get to dinner, some time after he had found Eggsy standing outside watching the dogs playing in the yard, it’s dark out. It’s a nice night out, the air is cool but not too chilled. It’s lovely, absolutely. They decide to drive Harry’s Bentley, which is rarely put to use in any situation. He has Andy, and while it’s a very nice vehicle, Harry absolutely detests driving. But he knows that Eggsy loves the thing, had been near bouncing with excitement when Harry told him he owned it. It was a relatively small price to pay for Eggsy’s enjoyment. 

He had packed a few blankets in the car, because a gentleman was always prepared. In other words, he knows that despite the heating in the vehicle, Eggsy still gets incredibly cold. 

The drive to the restaurant is slow, and filled with excited chatter from Eggsy. The younger man has seemingly been revived with the nap he took earlier, devoid of any signs of the tiredness he had earlier. Harry is excited too, in a more relatively calm way. More mental than physical, like Eggsy’s. 

The box in his pocket served as a grounding for him. There was something weird about the idea that tonight he was proposing to the love of his life. His  _ soulmate.  _ Not weird in a bad way, mind, but weird in a way that he hadn’t thought he’d be here. 

He had never wanted to truly date someone, let alone be with someone forever. It was a bit daunting, to think about it. He had spent his whole life a bachelor, and he enjoyed the solitude for the most part. He had work, and he had his friends. He might not have had someone to warm his bed for the most part during his later days, but he was okay with that. He had gotten that out of his system when he was in his twenties. Young and a little reckless, ready for whatever the world threw at him. 

But Harry had moved on, became mature. Had developed a mechanical system in life, an unshakeable routine. He was okay with it, as well. It was comfortable, if a bit lonely. 

Then he had met Eggsy, and suddenly he imagined his future with the younger man in it. What a shock it had been, too, to realize the younger man was already something of a fixture in his life so quickly. 

He drives through the streets, replying to Eggsy’s ramblings when needed, smiling as the younger man continues them without breathing seemingly. It’s Eggsy’s tic, he thinks as he looks at him, rambling when nervous, or excited for that matter. 

“We nearly there, ‘arry? ‘M hungry.” 

Harry smiles at the younger man, nodding. Just a few more minutes now. Eggsy seems pleased by the affirmation, and he goes back to looking out the window. He pulls out his phone a bit later, playing some game that Harry can’t identify. Harry mainly uses his phone for texting Eggsy and Merlin, and the occasional checking of email if his tablet or laptop isn’t available. It’s not that complicated for the most part, he loved learning about new technology, appreciated it’s ability to connect people, and he loved watching Eggsy have fun on the various games even if he himself could never get into them the way his boy did. Still, he appreciates them. 

By the time they reach the restaurant, Eggsy is bouncing in excitement once again. Harry had made the reservations some time ago, months ago in fact, and he’s excited to try the new places as well. Their table is at the back, and he’s glad that he chose it. They’re in a secluded part of the restaurant, no one truly around them.    
  
The decor is stunning, as well. Candlelit tables, wooden tables and chairs. It’s beautiful, really, and Harry is glad he had booked it. 

The light from the candles makes it more intimate, and the younger man is absolutely beautiful as well. He had recently bought a new bespoke suit, as well as a custom orange velvet blazer. It looked great on him, despite the various fashion rules Harry is sure it broke. He had convinced the younger man not to wear it tonight, so instead Eggsy had wore the new black suit he had bought. He enjoyed the sight of the younger man in either, but he isn’t quite sure they’d match so well if Eggsy wore the orange blazer. 

Eggsy smiles at him softly in the light before looking around the room in curiosity. Even Harry knows it’s top levels of posh, the kind of expensive that is only born of old-money tuffs. 

But the younger man is happy with the place, seemingly. He smiles and nods his head to himself. The waiter comes quickly, and Harry orders them champagne for the special occasion. He also admits to himself that it’s mean to recreate their first unofficial ‘date’ back when they didn’t know anything about their Marks. Eggsy loves champagne, but they rarely have it.    
  
Eggsy smiles widely, excited for the drink, and Harry looks with adoration as Eggsy drinks his first sip. It’s a sight to see, the younger man in bliss at the taste. 

He orders the food, Eggsy encouraging him to, especially since part of the menu is in French. Eggsy’s eyes darken when Harry speaks any other language, and so Harry is quick to abuse the effect it has over the younger man anytime he can. 

He decides halfway through the meal that this isn’t the right place. This isn’t  _ right.  _ It’s a beautiful place, yes, and even more lovely a night. But, despite all the factors that should be in its favor, it isn’t the  _ right  _ place to propose to the younger man. 

He discreetly touches the box in his trouser pocket, thinking. He doesn’t actually know where he’ll do it if not here. He knows surely that it needs to happen  _ tonight _ . It’s been a year, and he has spent far too long not having his ring on the younger man. He knows, in the back of his mind, that they’re marked in every single way possible. From the way everyone knows they love each other, to the actual Marks on their skin. But Harry can’t help but crave his ring on the younger man’s finger. He wants the  _ works.  _

_ You’ve grown romantic in your old age, Hart,  _ he thinks as he smiles at a joke Eggsy tells. The younger man hasn’t drank too much. He’s not tipsy, even. Harry is relieved at the fact, wanting Eggsy to be in the right mind for whatever comes next. 

Towards the end of dinner, when he gets a desert to share with his soulmate, Harry suddenly has the idea he has been waiting for. He plans it all rather quickly, smiling at his soulmate when the younger man gets chocolate on the side of his mouth. Harry reaches across the table, wiping the chocolate sauce away with his thumb. He isn’t ashamed exactly of the resounding groan when Eggsy, the  _ brat _ , sucks the digit into his mouth, licking the sauce off and smirking when Harry retracts his hand after a pause. 

“Cheeky brat,” he mumbles when the younger man smiles coyly at him from under his lashes. Eggsy just grins innocently in response, and Harry has the sudden desire to do it now. Have not only his Mark on Eggsy, but his ring too. It’s an incredibly possessive thought, and his brain runs with it, unstoppable and infinite. 

When the bill comes, just after Eggsy finishes the last of the desert from earlier, Harry doesn’t even let Eggsy touch it. It was his idea, after all, to go to dinner here. It’s only fair, he insists when the younger man protests, that he pay. He doesn’t say it’s because he wants to spoil Eggsy, nor that he wants to provide for the younger man in every way possible. 

They walk back to the car, and Eggsy smiles giddily at him, obviously ready for whatever comes next. Harry smiles down at the younger man, interlacing their fingers after he slides into the driver's seat. He knows exactly where he’s going. 

\---

He doesn’t tell Eggsy where they’re going. The younger man is practically begging him for a clue by the time they’re nearly there, and Harry finds it endearing. 

It’s dark as night outside, and as they travel further from the city the stars come into view as the rolling grass passes by in a blur. Eggsy eventually gives up as they’re nearly there, instead turning to look out the window. Harry laughs and places his hand on the centre console palm up, snorting when Eggsy pouts at him before interlacing their fingers. 

The destination is beautiful, Harry knows. It’s one of his favorite places. He had took Eggsy there one time, during a daytrip. It’s a beautiful location, close enough to his childhood home that he had visited it frequently as a child. Eggsy had gawked at both his family home and the spot, for different reasons. Harry knew it was perfect, a beautiful reminder of both past, present, and future. 

He wants that future. He had never thought about it much before Eggsy, but he wanted the whole deal. He wants early mornings and late nights, he wants it  _ forever,  _ forever with  _ Eggsy.  _

He smiles to himself and stops the car by the path that leads to where he wants to take them. The location isn’t a real park, and doesn’t actually have a real name. It does have a beautiful lake, though. Not many people know about it, it’s secluded from most of the rest of the places around it. Harry thinks that’s the best part, the lack of people at times like this. 

He leads Eggsy by the small of the waist, smiling when the younger man leans into the touch. It’s not too cold out, luckily, but Harry did bring his overcoat just in case. 

When they finally reach the spot he had planned on, he smiles at the scene. The moonlight reflects off the lake, a beautiful sight, and the various trees and flowers that outline the outer rim of the water. He loved coming here for the peace it offered, a safe haven in his life. He finds that he prefers having Eggsy in these memories. 

He realizes quite suddenly as they stare out at the water that he has no actual idea what he wanted to say. He had planned it all out, certainly, at one point. But now that the time has came, the moment right in his grasp, all his words have left him. He guesses it makes sense since the rest of the night has gone similarly. 

He sets his overcoat on the ground, a pseudo-blanket for the time being. He reaches into his pocket, grasping the box. He nearly laughs at the sound he makes as he gets down on one knee in front of a confused Eggsy. The younger man looks near faint, and Harry smiles up at him before taking a deep breath. 

He pulls the box out of his pocket and opens it to reveal the ring he had bought, and watches as Eggsy’s expression changes rapidly from confusion to shock and happiness. 

“Eggsy Unwin, my soulmate, the love of my life,” Harry begins, pausing for a second as Eggsy starts to tear up slightly, “I have loved you for as long as I’ve known you I believe. The very second you said my name for the first time, I’m sure it was the very start of my tumble down. You smiled and I knew then and there that you were  _ the one.  _ I’ve never wanted to love anyone, not even close to how I feel about you.”

He pauses for a second, smiling up at his soulmate. He doesn’t fidget with the box, instead running a hand through his coiffed hair, surely ruining it. 

“I want it all with you, I want  _ forever  _ with you. I have never, and will never, love anyone as much as I love you. I bought this ring the day after you first told me you were in love with me. I bugged Merlin to come with me, and Roxanne gave me advice on what to get. I was waiting for the perfect moment, I had it all planned out originally, some grand speech I’m sure. But that was never  _ us,  _ and so here I am.  _ This  _ is the moment I was waiting on, my love.”

Harry raises the ring’s box an inch, and Eggsy is fully crying now. Harry smiles softly, incredibly fond, and incredibly  _ in love.  _

“So, Eggsy Unwin, will you marry me?”

Eggsy chokes on a sob before nodding his head rapidly, whispering yes over and over again before he finally replies a final quiet, “God, yes.” 

Harry smiles a bit wetly before quickly sliding the ring onto Eggsy’s finger, a thrill of satisfaction tingling down his spine at the sight. Eggsy gets down on his knees in front of Harry, tugging the older man into a heated kiss. 

It’s decidedly a  _ moment,  _ one of the big ones that they’ll never forget. He’s sure when Merlin hears how he proposed, the bastard will never let him live it done. Harry happily recalls that Merlin proposed to Roxanne while they were in bed one day after eating dinner, and he smiles in remembrance of when Merlin told him that fact. 

“I love you, Harry Hart, y’know that?”  Harry smiles into the kiss, “I do indeed, darling. I love you too.” 

\---

Eggsy decides rather quickly that planning a full wedding is too much, especially seeing how Roxy had barely gotten through it herself. His mum offers, of course, but he wants her to focus on the experience and not the stressful bits. Instead he and Harry pay a wedding planner, a kind bird named Jameel. She’s amazing, a life saver in every single meaning of the word. 

She picks the best flowers, ones that both Harry and him agree go with their suits. James and Alastair had immediately offered to make their suits after Eggsy had declined Roxy doing it, she needed one done up as well considering she was going to be in the wedding as well. While the two older men were also in the wedding as groomsmen, they also knew they could just make the others suit. It made the most logical sense as well, a generous gift from friends. 

Daisy is the flower girl, just big enough to understand what she needs to do, and just young enough to be endearing as it. She had insisted on wearing a dress that matched Roxy’s. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that Roxy was going to wear a tux. She had stated that she had never gotten into them, and Merlin liked her in her suits. Eggsy had faked gagged at the added comment, and gotten Daisy a dress that matched Roxy’s suit as best as it could. 

It’s no surprise, with all the planning that had gone into it, that the day of the wedding Eggsy feels like he is about to implode. Not in a bad way, mind, but he was drowning in nerves about the fact he is about to marry the  _ love of his life _ . This is  _ it.  _

He stands idly in the dressing room, staring at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t saw Harry since they had gotten dressed together that morning after a round of frankly incredible morning sex. It had done nothing to calm his nerves, though. So now he is standing in front of a full length mirror examining his reflection. He runs a hand through his hair, and thanks the gods when Roxy enters the room all dressed in her tux. 

She looks absolutely gorgeous, her hair falling in waves over her shoulders. Like a goddess, or some other adjective that he can’t think of. He smiles nervously at her, turning to face her instead of himself. 

She takes one look at him before sighing. He knows for a fact his hair looks like a mess, he had never gotten over the habit of running his fingers through his hair when nervous, and he hasn’t put on his suit jacket or tie yet. He had tried, but his hands were shaking and so he had given up on it. 

Roxy leads him to a chair, pushing him into it before going to stand behind him. 

“You remember my wedding day? I never told you that the morning of it, I had gotten so nervous that I threw up that morning,” Eggsy snorts a laugh, ignoring Roxy when she shoves his arm, “the point is, Cinderella, that it’s okay to be nervous. This is going to be a day you’ll think about for the rest of your life. But I can tell you, Eggsy, that this is going to go perfect.” 

She turns him to face the mirror in the chair. “You know that, right, Unwin? You and Harry are perfect. It’s still sickening after all this time.” Eggsy laughs and leans his head back onto the chair, looking up at Roxy from the new position. 

“Marriage has made you soft, Mrs. Roxanne Morton.” 

Roxy just tugs his hair as she fixes it again, smiling at him softly.  _ This is going to be perfect,  _ he thinks to himself,  _ absolutely perfect.  _

\---

The thing about weddings was that Eggsy had always found them boring. He didn’t hate them, if he was being honest, just felt that they were a bit boring. 

But here he was, standing at the altar as he stares at fiancé, and soon to be husband. The priest looks between them, reading something out of the book he’s holding. Eggsy doesn’t feel bad for not paying attention to the bloke when Harry is looking at him like  _ that,  _ like he’s hung the moon for him. 

He realizes quite suddenly that he is about to get  _ married.  _ It’s almost shocking that he’s made it this far, almost unbelievable. But he knows that Harry is in love with him, and he’s in love with Harry and that’s all that truly matters in the end. 

He doesn’t know much about weddings considering he had never payed attention to any he had been to. He hadn’t expected the various pre-wedding rehearsals, but he’s thankful for them in moments like this. Because he knows exactly what happens next, the vows and then the “I do’s.” 

Harry looks absolutely sinful in the suit he wears. Black jacket and trousers, white shirt, and the small light blue flower boutonnière pinned to the lapel. He looks like a god, carved of marble. Eggsy smiles warmly, looking down briefly to admire the engagement ring that adorns his finger. 

When the time comes for them to say their vows, every single word he had prepared suddenly is  _ gone  _ in the blink of an eye. He has had this planned forever, a speech on all the reasons why he loved the older man, but he never did do plans, and he won’t start now. When he starts speaking, he really doesn’t know what he’s going to say yet, but he knows it will be real, and hopefully beautiful. 

“Harold Reginald Hart, I’m in love with you. There’s no way to put that any diff’rent. I want to be with you forever. I want t’be with you in the mornings when you’re tired, and at night. I want to be there with you for it all. I love when you smile at me like I’m the center of your universe, and I love when you talk with your hands when you’re excited. I never expected to have a soulmate, but even more than that, I never expected to love anyone s’much as I love you.”

Harry smiles at him, and Eggsy struggles to remain from kissing the older man. But he wants to hear Harry’s vows, and so he clenches his hands instead. Merlin, who stands behind Harry, looks a bit teary-eyed, and Eggsy smirks as he adds a mental achievement to his cabinet. His mum, who sits in the front row holding Daisy, who had done absolutely amazing at being flower girl, despite the fact she somehow got more flowers in her hair than anywhere else, is nearly fully sobbing. Eggsy smiles at her before looking back to Harry, who has grew somehow even softer. 

“Gary Lee Unwin,” then a bit softer, “ _ Eggsy _ , I had never been in love before I met you. I have lived a long life, and never once before you did I ever want to be in love, even. You stuttered your way into my life, quite literally, and nothing has been the same. I spend every waking minute of my life now thanking whatever gods I can that I have you. I’m sure I have loved you since the beginning of time, and I’ll be damned if I don’t love you until the end of it. I want forever, with you.”

Eggsy isn’t afraid to admit that he cries at the speech. Not full blown tears, but the small ones that are silent and happy. He deserves to be allowed to do so, too, considering how much of a turn his life has took. Everything has changed, and he still hasn’t caught up to the fact this is his life now. He smiles at Harry, and he focuses on Harry until the priest gets to the part where they can finally kiss and say ‘I do’. 

When they finally do kiss, after the priest has declared them husbands, it’s absolutely beautiful. Eggsy smiles into it as Harry dips him dramatically. When they part, his mum is still crying, and he mouths that it’s alright to her. The clapping in the church is deafening, and he and Harry smile and wave.  The wedding ends, and they greet everyone, smiling and posing for the photographer. Everyone is smiling, and Eggsy sees Jameel in the back. She’s smiling too, obviously happy she succeeded. Eggsy agrees with himself that he’ll send her the most expensive wine he can find as a thank-you, he knows it wasn’t exactly easy to plan the whole wedding. 

The final photo took before the reception is as they both kiss under a tree outside the church, and luckily Harry doesn’t dip him in this one. Soon enough, they get Daisy in one of the photos, both of them kissing one of her cheeks. 

\---

Merlin’s speech at the reception is somehow both sweet and sarcastic. He spends at least ninety percent of it teasing them both, and the other ten percent being utterly kind to them both. It gives Eggsy whiplash when the first words of his speech were, “I’ve known Harry over there for most of my life now, and I’ll be the first to say, he is a right bastard,” and the last words be, “They’re almost disgustingly perfect together, and I’m glad they finally got their shit together. You all should have seen them in the beginning.”

Roxy, who is definitely a bit tipsy by the time she stands for her own speech to avoid the nerves, just makes one giant metaphor with Disney princesses. It’s a common theme for her, it seems. Eggsy smiles at her, laughing when she compares him to Snow White for the fifth time today. It seems like his Prince Charming, who sits next to him and holds his hand, is both flattered at the compliment and slightly amused at their antics. 

“Me and Eggsy have been friends since I met him, and he has never looked at anyone the way he looks at Harry. He’s never talked about anyone that way either, even when he had passing fancies for whoever. Harry was the first, and the only one Eggsy will ever talk like that about. I’ve teased him about being a princess since they got together, but Harry truly is Eggsy’s Prince Charming,” she raises her glass in a final toast as she finishes her speech, “to the newly married couple.” 

Eggsy doesn’t deny he’s a bit like a Disney princess, rags to riches and all. Plus he got the love of his life, in truth he got everything he ever wanted. 

His mum is the final one to give a speech, and she chokes up halfway through it. 

“Harry’s the right one for my baby, I know that. The both of them deserve the happiness they bring each other,” his mum smiles at the both and wipes away a tear, “to the only men I need in my life. To Eggsy and Harry,” she raises her glass and smiles again. 

Eggsy starts crying too, and Harry kisses his forehead before Eggsy gets up to go hug his mum. He looks around the room, smiling, meeting Harry’s eyes. 

Sure, he didn’t exactly expect to meet one Harry Hart, but he sure as hell wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. This was his  _ life,  _ and he knows that the rest of it will be the good times that he had been denied as a child. Through thick and thin, this, is  _ it.  _

\---

_ Everything is perfect,  _ he thinks as he lays next to Harry in bed later. He flips his left hand around, thumbing at his rings. Harry turns over slightly, pulling Eggsy closer, and Eggsy lets him. He settles himself against Harry’s front, and allows himself to be pulled into sleep. He feels JB and Hamish curl up by their feet just before he drifts off, and a vague thought of  _ shouldn’t they be in their beds  _ runs through his head before he falls asleep. 

He dreams of butterflies, and the not-so-distant future he has with Harry. 

**Author's Note:**

> Update: This story is now beta'd by BrisTime (she is very helpful and deserves credit for the lack of errors).  
> This is my first time posting a longer story since I've started writing. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> My tumblr is maszyc. 
> 
> (THIS FIC IS COMPLETED).


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